A 6000-CAPACITY indoor concert arena should be built in Edinburgh, according to a long-awaited review of the city's cultural venues.
The proposed £30 million venue is seen as a way to help the Capital compete with Scotland's other major touring venues, such as the SECC in Glasgow.
The city's Waterfront is the most likely location for the new venue, according to the report, whic
h casts doubt on plans for a 10,000-seat indoor stadium at Ingliston. Concert promoters have shown little appetite for a venue that size, the study says.
The city council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian funded the £120,000 study, which was published today.
The report also backs plans to create a new comedy venue in the city, as well as the long-mooted new home for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
But other high-profile projects – such as plans to refurbish the crumbling Ross Bandstand and revive the former Leith Theatre – are expected to be shelved.
The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise will be asked to help pay for the new concert arena, with the study also recommending that council chiefs investigate "potential partnership opportunities with the private sector" to get the medium-scale venue project started.
The council has ordered a feasibility study be drawn up on the practicalities of making the concert venue a reality.
Councillor Deidre Brock, the city's culture leader, said: "This ground-breaking study gives us an unprecedented view of how we and our partners can shape the future of cultural venue provision in the Capital.
"As one might expect in Edinburgh, home to the world's greatest arts festival, there is enormous cultural demand. We and our partners must now ensure that we continue to cater to this demand and, crucially, stay ahead of the competition."
As the Evening News revealed in February, more than £200m is needed to bring Edinburgh's arts and cultural venues up to a "world-class" standard.
The council-led review was sparked by the 2007 Thundering Hooves report which warned Edinburgh was likely to fall behind other cities if there was not greater investment in the Capital's venues and festivals.
The study has backed a long-awaited £10m refurbishment of the Queen's Hall concert venue as well as the £20m revamp of the King's Theatre.
More than 100 different individuals and dozens of organisations were interviewed over the last 18 months for the study, which looked at more than 70 performing arts venues across the city with a capacity of more than 200.
The city council's corporate services director Jim Inch said: "In the medium-longer term, it is clear that a financial strategy will need to be developed by the council in concert with a range of partners and stakeholders, to take account of the very large sums the study recommends should be invested in the city's cultural infrastructure."
