Will there be a new rink at Cupar?

There has been much interest recently in the decision of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club to back the bid by Kinross to be the site for the National Curling Academy, new offices for the governing body and a curling history museum. The bid to site the complex at Ratho was unsuccessful, and it seems unlikely now that this venture will go forward, to judge by the tone of the letter written by Michael Wood, President of Gogar Park Curling Club, on October 16, which can be downloaded from here.

He says, "We are, naturally, bitterly disappointed that, despite the perseverance shown over a number of years, we now appear to have reached the end of the road. I will meet with our Committee to consider our position fully early next month but I think it fairly clear that without the public funding that the award of the National Curling Academy would have brought there is no realistic prospect of being able to continue the project. The final decision in that regard will be taken at the continuation of our currently adjourned AGM."

The provisional date for that meeting is Tuesday, December 16, at the Braid Hills Hotel.

But what about Cupar? The bid by the Fife Curling Trust for the National Academy project was not shortlisted (see here), but that group's plans to build a new facility are still very much on the table. There is to be a public presentation on Tuesday, November 11, to review progress, present plans and discuss the way ahead for the provision of a new curling facility in Cupar.

The meeting is in the main hall of Elmwood College, Cupar, at 7pm. All are invited.

You can find out more about the Cupar venture here.

Planning granted for new Gogar rink

The plans for a new curling rink at Ratho to replace the Gogar Park rink which closed in 2005 have already been described in these pages. Another hurdle, that of achieving planning premission, has now been overcome.

According to a report in the Edinburgh Evening News, Edinburgh City councillors gave the plans the go-ahead at a planning meeting yesterday, despite officials recommending it should be refused because it could harm the 'rural character' of the area.

At an EGM in June, club members backed plans to push ahead with efforts to have their own rink again. At present club competitions are held at Murrayfield. The business plan can be downloaded from the Gogar website. This recent positive planning decision will provide further impetus to these efforts.

This aerial photo is taken from Gogar's business plan for the Ratho development and shows where the 6-sheet rink would be located in relation to the existing climbing centre.

Gogar curlers hope for the future

An Extraordinary General Meeting of Gogar Park Curling Club was held at the Braid Hills Hotel yesterday (Tuesday June 26) to gain support from the membership for the business plan for a new rink. To take things forward 75% of the members of the club, either present at the EGM or voting by proxy, had to be in favour. In a letter to members President Malcolm Wright had emphasized the importance of the meeting for the future direction of the Gogar Park Club and urged all members to attend. The outcome? There was overwhelming support for going forward with the proposals.

The full eighty-page business plan is available on the club website.

Obtaining financial support is the essential part of the plan: donations of around £250,000 are in place. A long-term loan of £1 million has been agreed in principle, but has to be confirmed. Uncertainties lie in the club being able to obtain a Regional Centre of Excellence Grant of £500,000, and the National Centre of Excellence/National Curling Academy funding of £500,000.

Gogar's original home closed on April 9, 2005, a consequence of the Royal Bank of Scotland's development of its new headquarters. An attempt to relocate to Kirknewton fell through. The proposed new site for the club is at Ratho, adjacent to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena. There is optimism that planning permission can be obtained. However, as the business plan sets out clearly, there are significant hurdles to be overcome before the new rink becomes a reality.

The top illustration, from the business plan, is an artist's impression of how the new rink might look - the grass roof to help reduce the visual impact on the landscape. Immediately above is where the rink will be sited in relation to the climbing centre.