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The proposed elements and just some of the issues are listed below.
According to the revised Environmental Statement that has been prepared on behalf of Musselburgh Joint Racing Board the proposed development comprises the following elements:
- An extension of the racecourse to provide a dual track loop, with an outer turf and inner all weather track. This will result in a total land take of 3.5ha for the construction of the track.
- Erection of floodlights and associated works, to provide lighting for the all weather surface.
- Removal of approximately 1.5ha of existing shelterbelt woodland to allow for the extension of the racecourse identified above. A further 0.65ha would be coppiced/replanted. Planting of woodland edge and wildflower meadow grassland to increase biodiversity.
- Construction of stable blocks for race horses and overnight accommodation for race horse staff, with parking for race vehicles and cars.
- Construction of reservoir for irrigation water to serve the race and golf course.
- Realignment of a number of tees and greens on the Musselburgh Old Golf course.
- Six hole (junior golf course), a practice area and putting green.
- Race day parking area within the golf practice area.
Many aspects of the development are irreversible, particularly the partial destruction of the the historic Old Musselburgh Golf Course.
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- Extending the racecourse to eliminate the ‘bends’ will cut through an area of emergent woodland currently containing wildlife including species not previously observed here.
- The plan is to remove the turf along the inside of the racecourse and replace it with a 18-metre-wide all-weather track consisting of a layer of hardcore topped with tarmac then a 9 inch layer of sand/rubber mixture. This would cut through the historic Old Musselburgh Golf Course, the oldest remaining course in the world, on which five Open Championships have been played.
- To accommodate the all-weather track (AWT), many of the greens and fairways of the Old Course would be re-aligned, effectively destroying the historic character of the course. (For a hole by hole description click here.)
- The current number of turf race fixtures, up to 27 per year, would reduce to 23 in future years. However it would be supplemented by a further 60 all weather fixtures to give a total of approximately 85 fixtures per year. The intention is to stage a two-day race meeting, as twilight or evening events, probably on Thursday and Friday evenings starting late September/October through to March. Evening fixtures would continue up to 10pm! Taken account of training exercise time and the possibility of a resident trainer, the total number of days on which golf could not be played would be approaching 100. Of course access would also be restricted for walkers.
- To erect around 45 masts to carry floodlighting for the all-weather track. The masts would vary in height from 15m to 30m and the number of lamps from 9 per mast to 18 per mast. On the home straight the floodlights will be on the outside of the turf track at 25m in height. Floodlights on Linkfield Road will retract and fold into purpose designed storage compartments when not in use. (These 19 boxes have been compared visually to wartime coastal defences.) When up, the masts on Linkfield Road rise to a height of 25m each mast carrying 10, 2000W lamps. These would be immediately opposite residential properties, creating ‘a wall of light’ every evening a race was being held.
On the opposite side of the track, the lighting would border on an internationally-recognised bird sanctuary. There will be two floodlights of 30m in height at the finish. These floodlights will retract to 14m, 4m above the height of the stand when not in use.
(On none of the artistic impressions of the floodlights accompanying the Environmental Statements are the lamps shown, just the lighting mast - why is this? Was it deliberate? It gives a very false impression of the visual affect.)
You can see an photographic impression of how the floodlights would appear on the Links here.
- The danger to and inconvenience for residents due to overnight horse-box parking and daytime spectator parking would be increased to approaching 100 days per year and such obstructions would arguably be considerably more numerous on each occasion than at present.
- The plans seem to show a significant increase in the provision of on course parking (for 1350 cars) but the majority of it on grass. There is no indication of what will happen if the going is soft and cars cannot be parked on the grass. Moreover, while the plan is to create a golf practice area on the area that will be used as a car park, this will become rutted with tyre tracks and unsuitable for golf. The small car park off Linkfield Road suffered a similar fate and has now had hard track laid on it.
- Access to parts of the race course away from the main stand are well used (people walking dogs, children playing, families accessing the land around the lagoons) and long established. Whether this continue to be the case or access to and across the racecourse and golf course barred is unclear.
One argument put forward for these proposals is of the prosperity it would bring to the local economy, and a scoping study has been done by the East Lothian Council’s Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee. The economic arguments in this study have been systematically demolished by an international consultant (read the report here); this is in addition to a number of contradictions in the statements in the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee’s own documentation. There is a real danger that the proposed investment in an AWT could prove not sufficient. This would result in expenditure by the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee, which would have to be met by East Lothian Council creating the possibility of an additional demand on council tax. Coupled with the changes in the character and access to the Links and the impact on the golf course, the end result could be detrimental to Musselburgh, rather than beneficial.
 The members of the Old Course Golf licensed club - which has no jurisdiction over what is a public course - have been consulted about the proposals. However, the population of over 200 season-ticket holders have never been approached, nor has the vast army of casual golfers who pay to play here regularly. Statistics show these two groups play more rounds of golf than club members.
We do not believe the issue of traffic, traffic flow and parking has been given due consideration. The volume of traffic during the day is already a concern vis-à-vis the potential for accidents. The proposed development, and the consequential increase in traffic, increases our safety concerns. It also fails to take account of the large demographic change to take effect within the next ten years, namely, the construction of almost 1500 houses in the catchment area of Musselburgh Grammar School (Musselburgh/Wallyford), to say nothing of the even greater development in the Longniddry/Tranent/Prestonpans. This will present considerable traffic problems on top of that created by race goers.
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