 | 'There is no harm in looking at another site at this late stage but the SNP remain of the view that the location which best meets the key criteria of accessibility and of being at the centre of Scotland's national life is Calton Hill.' SNP constitutional affairs spokesman, George Reid, 8 th December 1997. |  |
Although Haymarket was one of the three sites on the short list for the site of the Scottish Parliament, along with Calton Hill and Leith Waterfront it never really seemed to be a serious contender in the eyes of the public.
The main advantages of the proposals for the Morrison Street site at Haymarket were adjacent Haymarket Station and the proximity to the city centre.
The site itself is a city council-owned car park, at Morrison Street, to the east of the nearby Haymarket railway station. It covers 3.8 acres and is available for development since the car park is being let on a short-term lease. A former railway goods yard with a history linked to the old Caledonian Station at the west end of Princes Street, the site has been a temporary car park since the early 1970s.
Haymarket was more or less elminiated after a spokesman for the Royal Institute for Architects & Surveyors reported 'Haymarket does not have any of the significant advantages of either of the two other sites. Clearly, it is being examined because it is a city centre site which is still unallocated to other uses and it has the advantage of close proximity to a railway station. But, apart from that, I cannot see any significant advantage in that site.'
Return to home page