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 the Jambos 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, is set to host talks on its 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, 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 yesterday reinforced that goal while also paving the way for initial involvement in the consultation over Murray’s £1billion plans.
The club on Monday announced plans for a share issue that would reduce their debt by around £10million. The last recorded deficit total was close to £35million.
Hibernian manager Colin Calderwood, meanwhile, will spend this week reminding his players of their collective responsibilities following a disappointing first match in charge.
Hibs found themselves four goals down before rallying for a 4-2 defeat at Aberdeen as Calderwood began his Scottish Premier League managerial career on Saturday.
Hibs have an equally difficult task this Saturday when they visit Scottish Cup holders Dundee United and Calderwood is looking for higher standards.
Calderwood said: “There is plenty that we can work on. The real telling times happen in games when you see the costly mistakes and identify the things you need to work on during the week.
“Saturday’s match was a poor first impression and a poor result for us, and that is a disappointing aspect.
“You want to be able to build on the situation of being a new manager and being fresh, but unfortunately it didn’t happen for us.
“We will build ourselves as a team, which I feel we have done this week, and make sure we’ve got a better understanding of our own personal responsibilities.”