Edinburgh Monarchs may well be contenders to buy Armadale Stadium. But only at the right price.
The West Lothian dogtrack and former stock car stadium has been the home of Monarchs for the last three seasons. Given the chequered history of Edinburgh Monarchs it is not surprising they they are looking for stability by owning their stadium.
Redevelopment of Old Meadowbank in the late 1960s forced Monarchs to move to Coatbridge. The attitude of the Edinburgh City Council was less than positive. Monarchs were denied a place in the new sports complex built for the Commonwealth Games on the grounds that Government rules prohibited professional sports. These 'rules' were quickly ignored when the Scottish Football League side Ferranti Thistle were allowed to base themslves there and became Meadowbank Thistle.
Monarchs spell at Coatbridge was limited to two years when the franchaise was sold to Wembley. It was some years before Monarchs reappeared, this time at Powderhall. Ten years on and history repeated itself with Powderhall lined up for redevelopement, Monarchs were forced to move to the west once more. It could have been to Armadale but planning permission was thrown out and Monarchs opted for a season at Shawfield Stadium in Glasgow.
This move was unsuccessful and victory in the appeal against planning refusal at Armadale opened the way for Monarchs to move back east, albeit still twenty miles from the capital. The original refusal of planning permission by West Lothian Council followed the objection of a handful of residents from the 'executive' housing development opposite the stadium. Many feel that the real reason was down to opposition by the local councillor for Armadale. His family own the farmland surrounding the stadium and there are suggestions that they would like the stadium closed so as to permit the development of the farm. The stadium does occupy the best access route to the site.
It has been well known that the Heffernon family, who have owned the Armadale stadium for the past fifty years are keen to sell. They see Monarchs as the obvious buyers for the stadium. This decision to sell is largely due to advancing age.
Edinburgh chaiman Alex Harkess commented in the Edinburgh Evening News:
"The youngest member of the Heffernon family is John, who is 70. They would very much like to sell the stadium because understandably, they are at an age where they won't be able to look after the place for much longer."
The main stumbling block is likely to be price. Monarchs would be prepared to pay a fair price for the stadium as a going concern but not the kind of price that it would attract as a development site for housing. Alex Harkess added:
"We would be interested in buying but unfortunately, when it's valued as a development site, the price seems to be a million miles away from the its value as a sports stadium."
Alex Harkess was in discussion with the Heffernons three weeks back about the rentalagreement for this coming season:
"They weren't interested in talking about rent. They wanted to talk about selling."
The key is likely to be planning consent. If the land occupied by the stadium remains zoned for sporting use, then housing development will not be an option and a realistic price will apply. If the local authority are prepared to rezone the land for housing, then the price will go way beyond the means of the Monarchs' promotion.
Having the security of a three-year planning deal secured before that start of last season, Monarchs will be determined not to allow the stadium to be sold over their heads if it is within their power.