The customer was the Royal Mining and Agricultural Society of Scotland, which annually holds a large-scale Royal Mining Exhibition. Now the old exhibition area is planned to be used for the expansion of Edinburgh Airport, so the question arose about building an exhibition complex in a new location.
The Royal Highlands Exhibition is the most important public event in Scotland; it involves agricultural enterprises, as well as other manufactories typical for rural areas. It is accompanied by various contests and concerts of popular and folk music, and prizes are awarded based on its results.
In addition to ensuring the holding of this exhibition, the new complex will be adapted for concerts, congresses, conferences of various levels. The old exhibition center hosted up to 150 different events per year. The new ensemble is expected to attract even more organizers of various social events.
Norton Park will include a 10,000-seat arena and exhibition pavilions; in addition, the territory of the new exhibition complex with an area of 100 hectares will be turned into a park.
The project budget is over 275 million pounds. Construction work is due to start in 2010, and the 2013 Royal Mining Exhibition will be held in its new location.
