Updated Friday 5 October
Following today’s emergency Events Planning and Operations Group (EPOG) meeting, we would like to reiterate our position regarding the All Under One Banner March for Independence which is scheduled for Saturday 6th October. EPOG confirmed the march will go ahead on agreed route including through the road network within Holyrood Park between Horse Wynd through to Holyrood Gait, ending at the Scottish Parliament.
Our position on use of the Park for any rally after the march remains the same. It has not been overruled by Police Scotland. To confirm, we have not given permission for the set-up of stalls, staging, branding and other static presence within Holyrood Park.
We wish to advise that the public will be able to access Holyrood Park as normal on Saturday 6 October.
Published Wednesday 26 September
"We received an application from All Under One Banner for the use of Holyrood Park as part of their wider March for Independence event.
"We want to make it clear that the march will still continue as planned through the road network within the Park between Horse Wynd through to Holyrood Gait. This has been facilitated by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) alongside Police Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council.
"However, we have not granted permission for the set up of stalls, staging, branding and other static presence within Holyrood Park. As a non-departmental public body, HES must remain politically neutral at all times and we do not permit political events of any nature to take place within our Properties in Care.
"The event organisers were made aware of our position on facilitating political events within our Properties in Care via the Events Planning and Operations Group (EPOG)."
The EPOG is a multi-agency team made up of relevant City of Edinburgh Council services and the emergency services in conjunction with venue owners and managers, like HES, and event organisers. The make up of the group changes to fit each particular event it considers.