A COMMUNITY campaigner has accused Queen Margaret University of “sidelining the community” by marketing its new business district as Edinburgh Innovation Park.

Jason Rose, of the Scottish Greens, is calling on university bosses to give local people the chance to give their ideas on what to call the proposed £80 million facility at Musselburgh.

The innovation park, which would be primarily aimed at the Small and Medium Enterprise end of the food and drink business sector, is earmarked for a 50-acre plot of land next to QMU’s campus.

The proposed development would include a national food and drink enterprise centre, as well as retail and leisure facilities.

Mr Rose said he was “disappointed” at the decision to call the facility the Edinburgh Innovation Park. He said: “QMU should be a huge asset to Musselburgh but the institution seems reluctant to associate itself with our town’s distinct identity.

“It’s ironic that a university specialising in public relations hasn’t considered the negative impact of branding its commercial expansion with the name of a neighbouring city.

“I’d like to see a greater effort to connect QMU with Musselburgh and the rest of East Lothian.

“Beyond what they decide to call this business park and shopping precinct, there must be consideration given to providing space for local enterprise and drawing students and staff from the campus into the town.”

A spokesperson from Queen Margaret University said: “We have developed ‘Edinburgh Innovation Park’ as a working title for the university’s proposals for land around the campus. The name takes account of independent research, which suggests that it is important to feature the word ‘Edinburgh’ in the name, as the market for the park sees the wider Edinburgh city region, which is made up of East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, Scottish Borders and Fife, as well as the city itself, as a key attracting factor.

“The university’s intention is to drive economic prosperity and vibrancy for Musselburgh and East Lothian, including hosting local enterprises and continuing to enhance the links between the town and the university more broadly. As such, we are very much committed to community consultation throughout the project. The final branding will be developed based on full consultation later on in the process.”