Lothian Leisure Development Ltd (LLD), has announced a partnership with Birmingham’s NEC Group to deliver a new privately funded 8,000 capacity, Edinburgh Indoor Arena
A site for Edinburgh Indoor Arena has been secured at Straiton, just outside Edinburgh city centre. The plans include transforming the 30-acre site into a mixed-use leisure and entertainment destination.
Wider development proposals
Together with the 8,000 capacity venue, proposals for the wider development include conference, retail and leisure space, a cinema and two hotels. The venue will complement Edinburgh’s cultural and entertainment offering and will provide employment opportunities for the region.
NEC Group, which already operates two indoor arenas in Birmingham, is supporting LLD to progress the scheme proposals to the full feasibility stage. NEC will manage the arena including event programming, hospitality, commercial rights, catering and ticketing.
Dave Fowler, business development director at LLD, said: “These exciting proposals showcase the modern, indoor arena that Edinburgh deserves, and with operating partner NEC on board the capital is assured a pipeline of the world’s greatest entertainment talent.
“We see this as a revolution in entertainment provision for one of the world’s most cultural capitals – and one which will benefit all sections of the community.”
Phil Mead, arenas and ticket factory chairman at NEC Group, added: “We are already looking forward to opening the redeveloped Bradford Live venue in 2021 and are delighted to now confirm our partnership with LLD which will hopefully see us manage our first venue in Scotland.
“Edinburgh is well known for its wonderful cultural offering but remains one of the only European capital cities without an indoor arena and so we’re excited by the thought of being able to bring some big names in entertainment to the region.”
LLD is currently in discussion with several parties to secure funding for the development phase of the project. Over the coming months, LLD and the NEC Group will be working closely to progress the proposals to full scheme design stage and to carry out a series of public consultations.
The next key milestone for the project is expected to be a planning application by the end of 2020.
