Wavegarden Scotland

The location of Wavegarden Scotland (an abandoned quarry pit) is adjacent to Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA). The two facilities will share an entrance and Wavegarden Scotland committed to build a footbridge connect the two over a canal. Together, they could make Ratho, the local village, a major destination for adventure-seekers.

Wavegarden Scotland will be much more than a wave pool, however. The plans approved include a surf school, surf shop, restaurant and a mix of accommodations. Additional amenities like bike and running paths in a new country park will keep everyone entertained out of the water and between sessions. They’ll also host events and corporate functions.

The Wavegarden Scotland team is working hard to manage and enhance the ecological integrity of the area. Environmental Impact Studies and protected species surveys are informing planning decisions which already include additional fauna to help improve and protect the natural habitat.

Building Wavegarden Scotland will cost about £15m for the pool and a total of £26m when you throw in the hotel and other amenities. They expect to bring in 180,000 visitor per year, 70,000 of which will be surfers.

The impact on local economics looks promising with forecasts pointing to 80-130 new jobs and £11M a year in generated for the local economy. The plan approved by the city council in June 2019 also included up to £500,000 worth of financial contributions to community facilities and infrastructure.

As of August 2019, construction has not started, but this overview from HarrisonStevens provides an excellent view into the future.

History

Andy Hadden, CEO and Co-founder of Wavegarden Scotland was exposed to surf on a trip to the Gold Coast as a 7-year old. Many years later, thanks to warmer wetsuits and some newfound local knowledge, Andy started consistently surfing the south east coast of Scotland. He’s been at it for 15 years now.

Like other founders who have partnered with Wavegarden, Andy’s motivation was sent into hyperdrive when he surfed his first wave at Wavegarden’s headquarters in 2013. XX

Soon thereafter, the folks at EICA suggested Andy check out the quarry pit next to their facility in Ratho. Andy connected Scott Brewster, the quarry property owner, who quickly jumped on board and became Andy’s co-founder of Tartan Leisure Ltd. (the company behind Wavegarden Scotland).

In XX, Tartan Leisure Ltd. bought the 48,500 m² (522,000 ft²) property.

Andy visited the Wavegarden headquarters and surfed their Cove prototype in November of 2016 XX. He says that experience sold him on Wavegarden, as well as his seed investors.

The pre-application process took five months but during that time they had an “had an unprecedented zero objections” from the public, according to Andy.

The first detailed application was submitted for approval May 2017. Later that year Andy left his day job at Colliers International.XX.

Original plans called for construction to begin in January 2018 with opening in March 2019, but those plans were delayed.

In April 2018, Edingurgh’s City Council approved the plans for Wavegarden Scotland subject to legal agreement. But as of January 2019, the team was still working to finalize the legal agreement.

Finally, in June 2019, approval was provided by the Edinburgh City Council.

In July, the team held a public consultation event that showed the community the latest plan, including conceptual renderings and other images from their partners: landscape architects HarrisonStevens, engineering and technical consultation provided by WSP, and planning and development advice by Colliers International. The feedback, according to Andy, was overwhelmingly positive.

Construction should commence very soon, according to Andy. Based on the conceptual renderings, we’re excited to see this beauty develop. XX

Sources: Wavegarden Scotland, Scottish Construction Now, WavePoolMag.com, Surfparkcentral.com, Edinburgh News, BBC, MagicSeaweed.com