WIREDGOV

Funding of £10 million for a new state-of-the-art visitor centre at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh (RBGE) was announced yesterday.

The funding from the Scottish Government means building work on the Gateway Visitor Centre project can now start in the next few weeks. It completes RBGE's successful fundraising campaign to secure a total funding package of £15.7 million.

The Gateway will be a model of sustainability offering visitors an unrivalled all-weather visitor centre. Using the latest technologies, the Gateway intends to become Scotland's centre for the public to connect with the world of nature, sharing understanding of the environmental issues facing us all.

Announcing the funding, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead said:

"It is fantastic to see the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh realising a vision and I welcome the RBGE's enthusiasm and hard work to making the Gateway Visitor Centre happen.

"The Gateway will provide a showcase opportunity to display and communicate Scotland's science to the wider public and promote key environmental messages.

"Scotland makes a major contribution to scientific research, tourism and recreation. I warmly welcome this truly outstanding project by the RGBE and all its ambitions to enhance all of these areas.

"It is more important than ever that we develop our knowledge of Scotland's precious environmental assets. I am sure this new international centre for excellence will prove a great asset for the whole of Scotland."

Professor Stephen Blackmore, Regius Keeper, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh said:

"This crucial announcement signals the green light towards providing a valuable new resource allowing RBGE and its partners to create a world-class centre which Scotland will be proud of: one which is truly alive and inspirational to everyone who visits it.

"By expanding upon an already diverse programme of educational and cultural events and exhibitions we aim to communicate science and conservation at every level and demonstrate in a tangible way how we can all help conserve our fragile environment for future generations".

Together with its three outreach gardens at Dawyck, Logan and Benmore, the RBGE is a centre of excellence in botanical and horticultural science and a leader in the education of science, conservation and horticulture. The Gateway will complement these attributes, providing an important and impressive space for RBGE to work with research organisations.

The Gateway will provide an entrance building at the West Gate of RBGE. It will encompass a reception, interpretive area, a shop, a café/restaurant, a teaching classroom, and administration and welfare facilities and increase the current 1500 square metres of the existing buildings at the West Gate to 2746 square metres. The facility is expected to be commissioned in mid 2009.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a Non-Departmental Public Body established under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985, principally funded by the Scottish Executive.

The four gardens of the RBGE (Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan) comprise the National Botanic Gardens of Scotland and are numbered amongst the most popular visitor attractions in Scotland bringing together many inter-related cultural areas of activity.

RBGE's Grant in Aid for 2007-08 is £8.288m and its capital allocation (excluding the Gateway) is £2.005m.

The Scottish Executive currently provides just over £50 million of funding per year towards a range of environmental, biological and agricultural research. A large proportion of this research is carried out by the main research providers of Moredun, Macaulay Land Use, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Rowett Research Institute, Scottish Agricultural College and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Related Information

http://www.rbge.org.uk/rbge/web/index.jsp