Hearts face court action

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10 May 1997

Hearts football club face a courtroom battle with their neighbours over a new #3m stand.

Residents living in the shadow of the Tynecastle stadium are unhappy over the club's plans for the grandstand.

They claim property prices will plummet once the 3500-seat stand opens, saying it will block out sunlight and make their flats unsaleable.

Despite complaints to Edinburgh City Council by residents of the flats neighbouring Tynecastle, planning permission for the stand was granted.

Now residents have threatened to go to court in a bid to win compensation for the loss of thousands of pounds from the value of their homes.

Work started on the development at the Gorgie Road end of Tynecastle last month.

Residents of the flats overlooking the site of the new stand say the values of their homes will fall once it is built and they will be deprived of daylight.

They also claim the Premier League club have compounded their problems by allowing builders to operate heavy machinery on Sunday mornings and ignoring all approaches for compensation.

Some householders have already sought legal advice and are ready to take Hearts to court to win compensation.

One tenant, who asked not be named because of fears of repercussions from supporters of the club, said: ''We're all sick fed up with it, and I think there is still worse to come.

''The builders have been starting with heavy machinery early on a Sunday morning and have no consideration for the residents living nearby.

''Hearts just seem to be riding roughshod over all of us.'' Pensioner David Clark, who has lived in his second floor flat overlooking the ground for more than 50 years, said: ''I'm not interested in football but I am interested in daylight.'' Mr Clark, 80, added: ''With this new stand, we will be getting robbed of the light we have.

''Everybody objected when the plans were first announced but they couldn't care less about us.'' City solicitor Douglas Criggie confirmed he had been instructed by a resident to seek compensation from Hearts.

His firm wrote to new Hearts chairman Leslie Deans six weeks ago, and followed his initial correspondence with a reminder.

Mr Criggie has not received an acknowledgement.

He said: ''I know he is well aware that there is some problem with the residents, because of the number of objections that were lodged at the planning stage.

''I am a bit surprised that it went through the planning process as smoothly as it did.

''We all know that Hearts have a requirement to have their stadium all-seated, following the Hillsborough disaster, but I feel residents' grievances should have been given more attention.'' Mr Criggie added: ''With the new stand being built, my client never got a sniff of interest when her home was on the market recently.'' A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council confirmed that environmental health officials had warned Hearts about operating machinery on Sundays.

He added: ''The height of the stand was discussed in full at the time planning permission was granted.'' Hearts chief executive Chris Robinson said the club was sympathetic towards the residents but insisted that no compensation would be offered.

He said that any legal actions taken against the club by householders seeking compensation would be contested vigorously.

Mr Robinson said: ''Anybody who buys a house and finds a major motorway being built at the bottom of their garden is in a similar position.

It's called life.

''We are sympathetic towards anyone who faces losing amenity or the prospect of their property value dropping but we have got to look after our own business interests.'' He added: ''As for noisy works on a Sunday, we have now taken steps to reduce that.

We don't want to be seen as bad neighbours.''

Taken from the Herald