A report to the City of Edinburgh Council's Finance and Resources Committee on Tuesday April 22 will provide an update on the redevelopment of the area as well as outline proposals for the way forward.
The Council had previously agreed, subject to conditions, to sell the land currently occupied by Tynecastle Nursery School, the adjacent Adult Training Centre (ATC) and Tynecastle High School to Heart of Midlothian FC to assist its proposed redevelopment of Tynecastle Stadium.
The ATC, which was declared surplus to requirements by the former Council Executive in October 2005, has been vacant since July 2006. Both the nursery and the high school remain in operational use. The high school is due to be replaced as part of the Public Private Partnership 2 project in 2010.
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The Council has since been in discussions with Heart of Midlothian FC over plans to move the nursery to a temporary site on Wheatfield Street, prior to a permanent facility being built on McLeod Street.
Heart of Midlothian FC was also asked meet a number targets, which would enable the Council to be in a position to apply for planning permission for the temporary facility.
The Club's main goals were the submission of a planning application for a new stand by February 2007, and the conclusion of a legal agreement with North British Distillery over the relocation of whisky stored on an adjacent site.
Due to ongoing negations, the submission of planning application was delayed until January 2008. That application is currently being processed through the normal statutory planning processes. A legal agreement between Heart of Midlothian FC and North British Distillery over the whisky store is expected within the next few months.
Subject to the conclusion of that legal agreement and satisfactory progress of the planning application, the report proposes that the Council will begin the temporary relocation of the Nursery by applying for planning consent. The aim is to deliver the temporary facility by Summer 2009.
Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, Finance and Resources Convenor said: "The Council is committed to providing quality Early Years provision in the area, and to working with Edinburgh football clubs to help them address their requirements and provide excellent facilities for the community."
(GK/JM)
