Hearts have declared themselves "open-minded" about a potential involvement in plans for a new 25,000-seat stadium on the outskirts of Edinburgh. But they stress they will only move away from Tynecastle if all avenues for redeveloping their ground are exhausted. Murray Estates, a property company owned by Rangers' majority shareholder Sir David Murray, are set to host talks on their development proposals for an area of green belt near Edinburgh Park. The published plans also include 3,500 homes and a major visitor attraction while the vision surrounding the stadium is for Edinburgh Rugby and Hearts to share the site. Hearts' preferred option is to redevelop Tynecastle but those plans have already undergone a significant revision. When first announced in 2007, the £51million proposals included a hotel and leisure facilities. But, earlier this year, the club admitted those plans were too ambitious amid issues with the council, Tynecastle High School and the nearby whisky distillery. Instead, Hearts announced their plans would now cost £10-15million and focus solely on turning their main stand into an 11,000-seat structure with additional hospitality boxes. A club statement today reinforced that goal while also paving the way for initial involvement in the consultation over Murray's £1billion plans. |