The community of Strathallan has been "divided" over the proposal to host T in the Park there, residents say.

Perth and Kinross Council is to consider an application to host the annual music event on the grounds of Strathallan Castle from this summer.
Part-owners of the estate have said they will not allow wildlife or the natural environment to be harmed.
But some residents say the site's road network and abundant wildlife make it unsuitable to host such a major event.
The festival is looking for a new home after quitting Balado after 17 years due to concerns about an oil pipeline running under the site.
Perth and Kinross Council is to consider a detailed planning application from organisers DF Concerts for the Strathallan site following a second round of public consultation.
The initial 28-day consultation drew 523 public comments, with 274 opposing the plans, 240 supporting them and nine neutral.
One objector, local resident Zazie Mackintosh, said she was worried by the ongoing dispute over the proposal, which has seen nature groups including RSPB Scotland and the Woodland Trust clash with DF Concerts and estate owners.
"I am concerned that this is dividing the community," she said.
"There are a lot of people who are opposing the proposal to have T in the Park here and there are people supporting it, and it has created real tension. I think it's a real shame that this has happened.
"I think there are many reasons why Strathallan is not the right place for this - the road network is not suitable for traffic of that volume, and there is an abundance of wildlife at the site. There's a private water supply, health and safety issues, and I think the negative impact it could have on the established tourist industry."
Jamie and Debs Roberts are part-owners of the Strathallan Estate, and insist protecting the local environment has always been their priority.
"We're conservationists at heart," said Mrs Roberts.
"We've been organic farmers for the last 20 years. Looking after wildlife is not something that's different to us or a conflict for us - it's core to what we do.
"Where I have comfort is that all of the experts who have come in and looked and assessed the wildlife issues here at Strathallan, all of their recommended actions are being adhered to. Where we have specific species where there are actions to look after them, that's all being implemented so they are being protected.
"I'd also look at the work DF Concerts did at Balado - they were working alongside a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the conditions for that environmental management is much higher than anything that we would have here."
Attracting more than 80,000 music fans every year, the festival generates a significant economic boost for Scotland - and Perthshire.
A study carried out by Glasgow-based consultancy Ekos estimated that the 2014 event generated Â£15m for the Scottish economy, and Â£2.7m locally in Perthshire, with one in five attendees travelling from outside Scotland.
However, Mrs Mackintosh claimed the event might actually harm the local tourist trade.
She said: "While I agree that T in the Park is fantastic for the Scottish economy, that would be the case wherever it was in Scotland, and I would question how beneficial it would be to the local economy. I would question that there's a significant net economic benefit.
"I think this part of Perthshire is already on the map - Gleaneagles has done a great job of that with the Ryder Cup and the G8.
"Certainly some businesses and people will benefit - and no-one more than the castle owners. But tourists come here for the landscape and the wildlife and the scenery, our local shops and art galleries, and that part of the economy would suffer."
While the Roberts' are unapologetic that they would "generate revenue" from having the festival as a tenant, they insisted the move would represent "an opportunity" for Strathallan as a whole.
Mrs Roberts said: "What it came down to for us was that there was going to be a massive change, but with it come a whole raft of benefits, not just for the estate but for the wider area.
"I'm actually more convinced now than I was.
"In the last months and years we've had so many chances to challenge DF Concerts and to get answers to questions, and at every stage they've been forthright and transparent. I'm happier now today than I've ever been with it."
Mr Roberts added: "We are guardians and custodians of this area, and we make the decisions - we won't let it be spoiled.
"It's the beauty that brought DF Concerts here. They're not interested in desecrating that or decimating it - it's in their best interest and ours to maintain the environment that's here."
Meanwhile, traffic plans for the event have been defended by the firm which helped design them, Yorkshire-based traffic management firm SEP Ltd.
A spokesman said there were forecast to be just under 69,000 vehicle movements across a four-week period including the festival build-up, break down and show days, including 13,000 vehicles which would be left on-site during the festival.
He said: "There is a scientific calculation of network capacity and flow rates that can be applied to the road network being used by the event.
"A desktop modelling exercise has been performed and it was successful. We are confident of our plans and are extremely experienced in managing traffic plans in rural areas."
Perth and Kinross Council aims to reach a decision on the planning application in May.


An Anglesey golf course that was facing closure could remain open for a further two years, the council has said.

Anglesey council's executive committee decided to close Llangefni Golf Course in January citing annual losses.
But on Tuesday the council agreed in principle to transfer the management to a local social enterprise group.
The council said it would now enter into "detailed negotiations" for Partneriaeth Llangefni to manage the facility until April 2017.


A new app that promises to let users review individuals has caused controversy before it has even launched.

Peeple will allow members to give star ratings to people they know via the app, much as restaurants and hotels are rated on sites such as Yelp.
The app has caused uproar online, with web users describing it as "creepy" and "terrifying".
Peeple's founders say they will pre-screen for negative abuse.
However, users will not be able to delete comments made about them. Nor will they be able to remove themselves from the site once on it.
Among those raising concern was University of East Anglia law lecturer and privacy advocate Paul Bernal.
"The bottom line is this is extremely creepy," he told the BBC. "It is an ideal trolling tool."
Mr Bernal added that he was sceptical that the app could ensure users knew the person they were rating.
"How are you determining whether somebody knows somebody?" he asked.
"If you're using Facebook friends, do people really know all their Facebook friends? Absolutely not."
There may be legal difficulties too, according to Steven Heffer, a partner at the law firm Collyer-Bristow.
"I can only see a lot of headaches," he told the BBC. "It looks to me like potentially a recipe for a legal disaster."
Mr Heffer said the app was different from existing social media in that it specifically encouraged users to assess others and that negative comments on individuals would be difficult to police.
"They can't be judge and jury, can they?" he said.
"They might have some kind of safety net, but it's not going to stop people being defamed and suffering damage as well."
The website for Peeple says that negative reviews will be stalled for 48 hours before being published, so that they can be checked by the person being rated.
However, if they are not able to resolve the comment with the person making it within that time, it will go live anyway.
This system could be problematic if someone did try to bully another person via the app, said technology researcher Natalie Kane.
"Essentially you're asking victims to confront their abusers - that's a difficult conversation for any victim to have," she said.
Peeple co-founder Julia Cordray told the BBC: "With any new concept there is naturally fear.
"When the people found out that the Earth was round instead of flat and that we revolved around the Sun instead of the Sun revolving around us, naturally people were upset and confused and they pushed back with all that they had."
Ms Cordray said the app, due to launch in November, had 5,000 members signed up for testing and was receiving more than 100 requests every hour for access.
She said Peeple would independently assess negative reviews during the 48 hour window to ensure they did not breach terms and conditions.
These include a ban on:
Ms Cordray added, "We are not anonymous. You have to be 21 and older. You can only message someone once, and if they don't respond you can never message them again.
"You can share the positive things that you say about people or the positive things that people have said about you through our sharing features."


A council is to seek a civil injunction and damages against one of its own councillors and other members of the public.

Nether Edge Green Party councillor, Alison Teal, was served with a legal notice for her involvement in protests against Sheffield City Council's tree felling programme.
Ms Teal was previously arrested for protesting against the tree removals.
Charges against her and 13 others were dropped earlier this year.
More stories from across Yorkshire
Sheffield City Council maintain that the removal of street trees in the city is lawful and necessary.
A "pre-action protocol letter" from the council's legal department to Ms Teal warned the authority will seek a High Court injunction to stop her, and others involved in "direct action", from taking part in future protests.
The council said the process would give protesters "a chance to further and finally consider their position" before it begins legal proceedings on 12 July.
Councillor Bryan Lodge, cabinet member for Environment and Street Scene, said there had been months of "unlawful and costly disruption" to tree replacement works in Sheffield by a small number of protesters.
"We continue to support the right to peacefully protest, and the majority of protesters who are doing so peacefully will not be affected," he added.
"But there is a big difference between this and direct action which deliberately and unlawfully stops works from being carried out."
Mr Lodge said protesters had been sent a letter several weeks ago confirming their actions were unlawful.
"Streets Ahead is not just about street trees, it's about ensuring we have roads, pavements and a street scene to be proud of for many years to come," he added.
"In addition, it presents us with a unique opportunity to sustainably manage, increase and maintain our diverse street tree stock over a 25 year period."
The council said, despite the letter, works were still being disrupted "causing city-wide delays".


Liam Treadwell's teeth helped to make him one of the best known Grand National-winning jockeys of recent years, and those celebrated gnashers have again played a significant role in his life.

Famously, in a BBC television interview after his 2009 Aintree success on 100-1 shot Mon Mome, Treadwell flashed a gap-toothed smile prompting interviewer Clare Balding to comment: "He hasn't got the best [teeth] in the world - but you can afford to go and get them 'done' now."
Though the jockey took no offence - and ended up laughing all the way to a free dental makeover - Balding apologised for the remark, which became one of the sporting stories of that year.
Now as he relaunches a riding career put on hold for six months by the side effects of "cumulative" concussion which made him fear for his future in the saddle, Treadwell, 30, says rewatching the incident, dubbed 'Col-gate' at the time, aided his return.
He said: "The symptoms of concussion probably wore off after six weeks or two months, but I was mentally not very well and my brain was still a bit fragile when I exercised. If I ran 100 yards down the road, I felt like I'd been clobbered round the head.
"I didn't want to ride a horse as I felt so grim, so disillusioned, and I was shutting myself away, not talking to anyone; I wasn't diagnosed with depression, but in my own head, sitting on the sofa at home, I felt depressed.
"A sports psychologist encouraged me to watch the good days on TV - good times, successes, so Mon Mome and [2013 Cheltenham Festival winner] Carrickboy were two I watched and seeing Clare's comments about my teeth at Aintree definitely helped me to smile again."
Chatting in the car park at Kempton, on a rain-drenched Monday in November ahead of taking his first mount since late May, the winner of more than 250 races looked out on the soaking scene and insisted: "After the six months I've had, I don't give a damn about the rain - I'm just very, very excited to be here."
Reflecting on his time on the sidelines, he told BBC Sport: "I'd had a big bang [fall] in March, and then came back and had a couple of 'soft' falls but wasn't feeling myself.
"I'd be sat at home at night and I'd drop in and out of the conversation randomly, and couldn't remember the details of what had been said, and I was feeling very tired.
"My wife Emily and [fellow jockey] Robbie Dunne, who was living with us at the time, said I needed to see someone, and she actually filmed it one evening, on the quiet, to show me to make the point.
"I had some basic tests at [the Injured Jockeys Fund's rehabilitation centre] Oaksey House and a chat for 40 minutes or an hour to them. When I left the room, I was so emotionally and mentally drained I felt I'd been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson - I thought 'God, I've got some issues'.
"As one month came and went, and another, of course I was worried about what the future was going to hold for me as a jockey."
With the support of Mon Mome's trainer Venetia Williams, his main employer, who ordered him to "take as long as you need", he embarked on a lengthy period of complete rest - "doing nothing, giving the brain a chance to heal" - mixed with regular visits to his psychologist.
Those visits are now due to continue, to help him to deal with what he sees as the "railroad life of a jockey", and he plans to encourage colleagues to make their own appointments.
"I'm going to be very open with the lads in the weighing room," he said, "and tell them being able to speak to a specialist is an important thing for any sportsman or woman, especially when they feel like I did that they've got the weight of the world on their shoulders.
"Racing may be behind other sports like cricket or rugby where it's commonplace.
"I feel fitter and stronger than I probably ever have been - I hope that can transfer into the saddle - and I've got my mind back in order; I have a better understanding of myself I think."
At Kempton, it looked as though a fairytale return was on the cards for Treadwell on the Venetia Williams-trained Uhlan Bute as the pair took the lead at the third to last fence in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase, only for the horse to unseat its rider at the next with the race apparently at their mercy.
Despite the tumble, a smile - of perfectly aligned teeth - lit up the gloom. Nothing was going to disrupt the sheer delight of being back.


Children at a County Armagh school have been given the opportunity to sing in one of the world's most historic venues.

16 February 2017 Last updated at 19:24 GMT
Pupils from St Paul's High School in Bessbrook are currently visiting Rome, to mark the school's 50th anniversary.
On Thursday, they sang at a Mass in St Peter's Basilica, Rome, which Catholics believe is the burial place of Saint Peter.
Headmaster Jarlath Burns who is on the trip said it was an "amazing opportunity" for the children.


The European space Agency astronaut, Luca Parmitano, spoke to Newsround about his spacewalk experiences.

15 January 2016 Last updated at 07:44 GMT
He described walking in Space as "absolutely fantastic" and he was "giddy with excitement."
Luca was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009 and travelled to the International Space Station in 2013
On his mission he took part in two spacewalks, orbited Earth 2,656 times and travelled more than 110 million km in total.


Ex-MP David Ward has been sacked as a Lib Dem general election candidate, party leader Tim Farron says.

Mr Ward, who planned to stand in Bradford East - the seat he lost in the last election - caused controversy in 2013 when he accused "the Jews" of atrocities against Palestinians.
His party membership has been suspended and an independent panel will carry out an investigation after the election.
Mr Ward expressed "sadness" over his sacking and denied being anti-Semitic.
But Mr Farron said he was unfit to represent the party, adding: "I believe in a politics that is open, tolerant and united."
His decision was welcomed by the Jewish Leadership Council, which called Mr Ward "an unrepentant serial offender".
In 2013, Mr Ward posted a tweet calling Israel an "apartheid state" and saying that "Zionists" were "losing the battle".
Mr Ward refused to apologise at the time and had the party whip withdrawn.
Later, in 2014 he was forced to apologise after suggesting he might be ready to fire rockets from Gaza into Israel.
He also recently tweeted that "all terrorist attacks in UK stem from our foreign policy", following the Westminster terror attack.
Speaking during a campaign visit to St Albans before the sacking, Mr Farron said he was "utterly passionate in tackling and fighting anti-Semitism".
He criticised Mr Ward's comments, and added: "I've been very very clear that we will have absolutely no tolerance - zero tolerance - of anti-Semitic remarks."
Mr Ward has previously said that neither he nor his comments had been anti-Semitic.
Following his sacking, he told the BBC: "Supporters of Israel are using this as a tactic. It's an attempt to stop supporters of the Palestinians getting into parliament."
Mr Ward's removal as a candidate came shortly after Theresa May criticised his selection during Prime Minister's Questions.
Responding to a question from Sir Eric Pickles - a long time campaigner against anti-Semitism - she said "people would be rightly disappointed to see the Liberal Democrats re-elect a candidate with a questionable record on anti-Semitism".
But speaking to BBC News, Mr Ward said: "I am a liberal through and through. How on earth could I be racist or be anti-Semitic?
"I would defy anybody to find one single derogatory comment I've made against a Jew which was not related to something being done in Israel."
Mr Ward was elected MP for Bradford East in 2010, but lost his seat in 2015 to Labour.
He had previously stood as the Lib Dem candidate for Bradford North in a by-election in 1990 and three general elections in 1992, 2001 and 2005, but was unsuccessful.
He sits on Bradford City Council, having been elected for the Bolton and Undercliffe ward last year.


Politicians and business leaders across Lancashire have adopted a "wait and see" approach to the Spending Review.

A 7.1% reduction in council funding was among the spending cuts unveiled by the Chancellor George Osborne - the biggest since World War II.
Peter Callow, leader of the Tory-run Blackpool Council, said it now faced "extremely tough and very difficult decisions".
But he said the full effect on services would not be known until December.
Up to 500,000 public sector jobs across the UK could go by 2014-15 as a result of the cuts programme, according to the Office for Budgetary Responsibility.
Mr Callow said the authority had been preparing for this by encouraging significant investment in the private sector to help create new jobs.
"For example our investments in the Winter Gardens, Pleasure Beach, Tower and Sandcastle are all helping to create more quality jobs for local people," he said.
"In terms of what the spending review means for the council, our service users and our employees this is not an overnight process.
"But it is clear now that it is going to be extremely tough with very difficult decisions to be made."
East Lancashire was one of the areas predicted to be hit hardest by the cuts, but Brian Davidson, CEO of Darwen employer Crown Paints, said they would have to wait and see what the effect would be on his workers.
A special BBC News season examining the approaching cuts to public sector spending
Spending Review: Making It Clear
Mr Davidson, who employs about 550 people in Darwen, said: "We have to get our sleeves rolled up and get on with it."
Asked whether the cuts would have a direct effect on the factory, he said: "We don't want to try and have any impact on any of our staff. We can never say never, but we do try and work with everyone.
"We are a bit concerned in terms of local infrastructure, local services, but until we understand what is happening at a local basis we just have to wait and see."
Within the chancellor's statement was confirmation that ring-fenced grants would end in April 2011, which Burnley Council said could have an impact on some of its projects.
Charlie Briggs, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "It may be that the exact effect on Burnley will be significantly different than the general picture across local government.
"We are continuing our discussions with government departments to set out the issues that Burnley faces."
The authority is currently consulting its staff on plans to axe about 90 jobs - 15% of the work force - as part of efforts to save Â£2m.
At county level, the end of ring-fenced grants was welcomed by the Conservative-run authority.
Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver said it would give them more choice in how to focus resources, although he admitted the reduction in overall funding would have a "major impact" on services.
"We are committed to reducing our back-office costs while protecting services for the most vulnerable and will look initially at saving money from our non-essential activities," said Mr Driver.
"More than half of our funding comes from government grant and undoubtedly we are going to have to be much leaner and fitter as a council to deliver our services."
Mr Osborne did have some good news for Lancashire when he revealed that the Â£100m upgrade of rail lines between Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester, Preston and Blackpool had been approved.
It will mean faster journey times for rail passengers.


Eleven taxi drivers in Denbighshire face being suspended or losing their licences for failing to attend a sexual exploitation course.

All drivers in the county were ordered to attend the training after the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal inquiry found taxi drivers had played a "prominent role" in the abuse.
More than 300, about 97%, attended.
Denbighshire council will decide on Tuesday whether to take action against those who did not.
A report to the council said five current taxi drivers were not licensed at the time.
Of the six others, one was not able to attend as he had another day job, and another was out of the country.
Councillors' options include revoking or suspending their licences, considering their renewal applications or convening a special hearing.


Party leaders and their campaign organisers have got many things to worry about on the election trail - but how important are their clothes and what can we be looking out for during the general election campaign?

No politician wants to look as though they are overly interested in how they dress.
"You'll see I wear only grey or blue suits," President Barack Obama once said.
"I'm trying to pare down decisions. I don't want to make decisions about what I'm eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make."
And few voters would want to admit that politicians' clothes have much of an influence over how we vote.
The problem is, experts tell us, that with the clothes we wear we are constantly giving off and receiving signals - whether we are conscious of it or not.
'Speed, modernity'
Theresa May, a self-proclaimed lover of fashion, has had a long while to hone her choices while in the public eye - and to understand what messages she is conveying.
Her clothes have been a subject of hot debate for at least 15 years, when she caused a furore by wearing a pair of leopard-print kitten heels to deliver a Conservative Party conference speech.
On the campaign trail, notes Dr Vanessa Brown, senior lecturer in design, culture and context at Nottingham Trent University, Mrs May tends towards, to coin a phrase, a "strong and stable" wardrobe.
It does not follow fashion too frivolously and suggests a woman who is in control and making rational choices - yet with a flash of "trying to connect through fashion".
She sometimes wears diagonal lines, which can denote "speed, modernity, looking forward" and is a fan of quite structured tailoring, allowing  for some movement when interacting with the public and pounding the streets.
It's a style that's easier to wear than body-skimming clothing, without looking "fussy" or "soft".
What about the famous shoes? Will we be seeing some flamboyance there?
Possibly, says Dr Brown, though noting that Mrs May's famous flashes of fun in her wardrobe are only "allowing that level of frivolity as far from her head as she could make it".
Jeremy Corbyn has also come under scrutiny for years over what he wears - although for slightly different reasons.
Way back in 1984 he was being  given a dressing down on BBC television for "scruffy dress" - which he responded to while wearing a jumper knitted by his mother and criticising Tory MPs for voting in "dinner jackets".
Despite having so far worn thoroughly respectable suits while campaigning, the "scruffy" tag continues to haunt him.
One voter told a Daily Politics vox pop in Derby this month that Mr Corbyn looked like he'd "come out the back garden", comparing him unfavourably with David Cameron, who was "smart".
"I'm not saying I wouldn't vote Labour, but that has a big influence," said the voter.
On the other hand, Mr Corbyn's clothes seem to appeal to parts of the electorate. Pop culture site Konbini recently ran a piece on how to look like him, with tributes to his oversized blazers, Breton caps and "bicycle chic".
For politicians, you can't appeal to every single voter - so perhaps the important thing is to be "authentic". If you look like your natural self, Dr Brown says, people will find you more likeable, and in turn more believable.
Mr Corbyn, she said, could perhaps "sharpen it up" a bit to make his look "a little more intentional" - and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who is similarly normally seen in a suit, with or without a tie - could also "get away with a bit more".
Mr Farron looks "exactly what he is", she notes, so presumably would score highly on any authenticity index - but could perhaps play up any subversive side if he wanted to be more noticeable.
He is reported to wear Dr Martens every day, with the Mirror at one point saying they "almost suggest this man has flair, personality... hobbies".
Mr Farron could perhaps, if that was the way he wanted to go, play up his reported musical roots.
He told the Huffington Post in 2015 that in the late 1980s he had fronted a band "written off as a fourth-rate New Order" , and told Total Politics that he was "once nearly a pop star" - explaining that his band got offered a recording session with Island Records, but didn't do it.
On the campaign trail he has so far not caused a particular stir, sartorially - although he did get his pictures in a lot of media outlets when he boarded a hovercraft in Burnham-on-Sea, clad in a lot of safety gear.
Politicians on the campaign trail do try to signal connectedness with voters by dressing according to their surroundings - for instance by dressing down if they are visiting a refuge or charity centre.
Or think David Cameron wearing casualwear while playing with a lamb during a campaign visit in his Witney constituency in 2015.
But go too far, it seems, and you will lose that sense of your authentic self - politicians still wince at William Hague's baseball cap, and that was from way back in 1997.
The scrutiny
But what about the formal events - the podiums and set-piece interviews?
What is often overlooked is how clothes make you feel, Dr Brown says.
Suits, with their structured tailoring, provide an impermeable smooth "outer casing" - a harder surface which can make you feel stronger and more in control.
That's why tailoring and monochrome colours are so popular - they not only don't look like you're fussing - they literally make you feel more invulnerable.
Although men are also increasingly under scrutiny for how they look, it is still women's clothes that are really picked on and pored over.
An enormous amount has been written about SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's clothes in the last couple of years - the Daily Mail's recent "Legs-it!" front page, comparing the legs of the prime minister and Scottish first minister while they were meeting to discuss Brexit and a second Scottish referendum, being a case in point.
Ms Sturgeon - who, like Theresa May, has appeared in Vogue and does say she is interested in fashion - has said she is conflicted by the scrutiny she comes under and that there is too much focus on what women wear.
"I do have a concern that for women, if women politicians - prime ministers, first ministers, are always reduced to how they look, and what they wear, and their legs, then we're saying something that we probably shouldn't be saying about the status of women," she recently told BBC Breakfast.
"So I think that focus on appearance is probably something we should try to move away from."
Perhaps that scrutiny partly influences her and other women politicians' fondness for single-colour suits and tailored dresses.
Minimalism, says Dr Brown, tends to appeal to politicians. All the scrutiny can lead to quite similar wardrobes of plain styles - because the more you experiment, "the more potential mistakes, more for people to talk about".
"So a shift dress is where you end up".
'He's wearing clothes'
It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for politicians - having to convey, through their outfits, all these messages about control, intelligence, entitlement to power, authenticity - while still trying to make people want to vote for them.
And you can't really say it doesn't matter because, as Dr Brown says, often for politicians a few words and their appearance are more significant than the depth of what they might say.
Most of us don't engage very deeply in the detail of political offerings - "so what else are people going on?"
But of course, not everybody goes in for the idea that clothes are a set of signifiers, sending off complex unconscious messages.
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall, for instance, has been notable for wearing a lot of tweed - a hint, perhaps, of Britishness and a traditional lifestyle - although so far on this campaign trail he has mainly been photographed in a dark blue suit and tie.
Is there a particular message he is trying to convey through his clothes, BBC News asked?
"No," said UKIP head of press Gawain Towler.
"He's wearing clothes, because some suit the outside and some suit the inside, just like you and I would wear clothes."


Czech side Viktoria Plzen have unveiled new novelty dugouts in the shape of giant beer cans at their Doosan Arena.

The 14-seat shelters, a result of a partnership with nearby brewery Gambrinus, now offers players and staff warmed leather seats.
"These are quite unique and I dare to say there is no other club with them," said general manager Adolf Sadek.
The benches required two tonnes of metal and 300 square metres of aluminium.
They took four weeks to produce and will be on show when Plzen start their campaign against Dukla Prague on Saturday.


Valentino Rossi has been declared fit to compete in the MotoGP race in Mugello this weekend, after a motocross training accident in Italy.

The 38-year-old Italian spent a night in hospital after suffering chest and stomach injuries in the crash.
He said on Wednesday he was still in "severe pain", but passed a medical check 24 hours later.
The nine-time world champion is third in the standings and 23 points behind team-mate and leader Maverick Vinales.


The former president of El Salvador, Francisco Flores, is in a coma after he suffered an arterial obstruction.

Mr Flores, 56, governed El Salvador from 1999 to 2004.
He was under house arrest after being accused of misappropriating $15m (Â£10.5m) given the country by Taiwan during his term in office, which he denies.
His lawyer said Mr Flores had been found unconscious at his home on Sunday evening.
It is the third time in the past 18 months that Mr Flores has been taken to hospital with serious health problems.
His lawyer described his condition as "very serious and critical".
She said that an obstruction in one of his arteries had left the right side of his body paralysed.
Mr Flores handed himself in to the authorities in September 2014.
He has been charged with embezzlement and making illicit gains.
Prosecutors say he misappropriated $5m and transferred it to his private bank account. Another $10m is alleged to have gone into his party's coffers.
Mr Flores, from the conservative Arena party, said the money was donated by Taiwan to help with reconstruction efforts after two earthquakes and to help tackle crime in the Central American nation.
He said that El Salvador enjoyed "a privileged relationship" with Taiwan because it backed the Asian country's request for membership of the United Nations.


The Australian government has been forced to introduce a new package of university reforms after its initial bill was decisively rejected.

Senators voted against the higher education reform bill on Tuesday night by 33 votes to 31.
The legislation would have cut university funding by 20% and allowed institutions to set their own fees.
The reforms are the biggest changes to the sector since the introduction of higher education fees 25 years ago.
Ministers say they will now introduce new legislation that will be "nine tenths of the previous bill".
Students who attend Australian universities are charged higher education (HECs) fees, although government loans and subsidies are in place to relieve the costs for some.
The new bill was introduced on Wednesday, but Education Minister Christopher Pyne told a press conference it would not be debated until next year when parliament resumes.
Instead of applying the ten year government bond rate to student loans, ministers will now seek to apply an interest rate equal to the nation's inflation rate.
The government also wants to establish what it has described as a university transition fund worth about A$100m ($84.6m; Â£54m) and create a new scholarship scheme to support disadvantaged and rural and regional students.
New parents will also be given more time to pay back their university fees.
Mr Pyne said he was confident the cross benchers would support the new bill, adding: "We had a defeat this week and I don't think there is any shame in that at all."
He said the Opposition Labor Party's campaign claiming students would struggle to pay back huge debts would "totally be obliterated".
The government's failure to convince cross bench senators to pass the bill is its biggest failure so far in a tough legislative term, which ends on Thursday.
Cross bench senators have also blocked the government's attempts to unwind regulations that critics say potentially exposed consumers to bad financial advice.
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has threatened to vote against all government legislation unless ministers agree to a pay rise for Defence Force personnel that is in line with inflation.
David Leyonhjelm, a senator from the Liberal Democratic Party, has also vowed to block legislation if MPs are not allowed to properly debate his same-sex marriage bill.
Mr Leyonhjelm last month introduced a bill that would amend the Marriage Act to allow weddings between same-sex couples, transgender and intersex Australians.


Beef cattle in Aberdeenshire are to be fitted with pedometers to help farmers determine when artificial insemination should take place.

Studies have found the cattle are more active when their fertility peaks.
The collars are one example being showcased in conferences of how technology can boost productivity.
Although robotic milking and heat detection collars are regularly used in the dairy sector, beef farmers have been much slower to utilise technology.
SAC Consulting said it hoped farmers could realise the potential efficiency improvements that could come from precision technology.
Andrew Gammie, from Drumforber Farm in Laurencekirk, has been using the pedometers for two years but is one of only a handful of beef farmers in Scotland to do so.
He has 15 collars on his herd of limousin cows, which detect movement and send the information to a receiver on the roof of a barn.
The information is processed by computer and when an animal is in heat, he receives a text message telling him to begin artificial insemination.
He said: "For me, when I was building my cow numbers up, I couldn't justify having a bull about.
"This way was a lot more efficient for the way I was working things. It's a lot more cost-effective and just a better management tool."
Technology seminars are being run for farmers in the Borders, Perth, Inverness and Aberdeenshire.
SAC Consulting, which is organising the events, stress that technology will never replace good stocksmanship.
However, senior consultant David Ross said that it could provide more information.
He said: "It gives you a bit more data to be able to use and be able to study. It's by doing that, that you'll get the little gains that add up to a big gain in margin at the end of the year.
"With the next generation of farmers that's coming along, most have got a smartphone in their pocket and they're now able to use apps and other bits of kit that help them in their daily job.
"I think we will see a shift that there will be more of this technology used in the future."


Thousands of Christmas meals have been bought for homeless people in Edinburgh and Glasgow after a sandwich shop made a plea for donations.

Social Bite, the chain of shops that gives 100% of its profits to charity and recruits people from homeless backgrounds, is to open at Christmas.
The chain has teamed up with daily deals website, Itison.com.
A donation of Â£5 will pre-pay for a meal at Christmas and a free coffee from Social Bite in the new year.
Co-founder Josh Littlejohn, 28, from Edinburgh, told the BBC Scotland news website he had hoped to sell 800 vouchers and could not believe he had sold about 7,000 in the first 10 hours of the promotion.
He said: "I think it is amazing that so many people have bought vouchers. Christmas is largely commercial with big businesses pushing sentimentality to sell products with people often spending more than they can afford.
"We have decided to open on Christmas Eve in Glasgow and on Christmas Day in Edinburgh to give a Christmas meal to every homeless person that comes into our shops.
"The Christmas spirit from people offering to volunteer or give donations has been overwhelming."
He added that any meal vouchers left over will be given to homeless people during the first few months of next year.
Itison.com is waiving all fees for the promotion, which runs for a week.
Social Bite will open its shop in St Vincent Street in Glasgow on Christmas Eve and the Rose Street shop in Edinburgh on Christmas Day.
The company, a social enterprise which aims to compete with Pret a Manger, Greggs and Subway, has committed to employing at least one in four of its staff from homeless backgrounds.
The firm currently employs more than 30 people, 12 of whom have been homeless.
Social Bite was founded two years ago by couple Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson, 24.
They were inspired by a visit to Bangladesh, where they met Nobel Peace Prize winner and microcredit pioneer Prof Muhammad Yunus.


Pope Francis has taken part in events to commemorate the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation during his trip to Sweden.

The Pope appealed to Catholics and Lutherans to "mend" history and look with honesty at the past, "recognising error and seeking forgiveness".
By tradition, on 31 October 1517 the German theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church.
The papal visit kicks off a year of events to mark the quincentenary.
Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders presided over an ecumenical prayer service in Lund cathedral in southern Sweden on Monday.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church praised the Reformation for helping to give greater centrality to scripture in the church's life.
Luther's pamphlet attacked excesses and abuses within the church, and his actions and writings were hugely significant in the schism which developed in Western Christianity, which became known as the Reformation.
Luther was subsequently excommunicated, but his teachings spread throughout northern Europe.
Decades of religious wars in Europe followed.
The Church of Sweden is part of the Lutheran branch of Protestantism, though the country is largely secular.
In a joint statement, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation said that both partners "are no longer strangers" and that their joint goal was to bring members of the two churches together at the Eucharistic table.
Pope Francis has previously praised Luther for his fight against corruption and greed in the church of the time.
He has also criticised his own church, calling on it to shun greed.


A very American-sounding "internal communication" has this morning landed in the in-boxes of employees of one of the world's largest fund managers, BlackRock.

It announces that one Rupert Harrison - the former chief of staff to the chancellor - is joining the business, as chief macro-strategist for multi-asset funds that invest in equities, bonds and cash.
"Rupert's appointment shows BlackRock's continued commitment to attracting people from a broad range of backgrounds to ensure we have the expertise, knowledge, and cultural perspective to provide solutions for the diverse needs of our clients," the message says.
Mr Harrison was often known as the "real chancellor" in government circles given his closeness to the actual chancellor, his role formulating policy and his ability to brief ministers and journalists on the various schemes being implemented by the Treasury.
Mr Harrison, for example, was talking privately about selling the initial chunk of the government's stake in RBS at a loss as much as a year ago.
Yesterday, George Osborne confirmed that would indeed be the government's approach.
Mr Harrison was also someone quickly persuaded that the Conservative's 2010 position on airport expansion in the south-east of England - ie there wouldn't be a third runway at Heathrow - was not sustainable.
David Cameron, with enthusiastic backing from Mr Osborne, subsequently set up the Airports Commission to look at reversing the policy. It will report in the next few weeks, having already proposed that there should be an increase in airport capacity around London.
I am told that at Mr Harrison's recent leaving do, George Osborne joked that it had been an honour to serve in Mr Harrison's Treasury.
Will Mr Harrison one day return to politics, and realise a long-held ambition to become an MP?
Whatever he decides, it seems it will be a long process. Those close to Mr Harrison say he wants to commit to his new life in the private sector for at least a decade before he makes any decisions on where next.
But, interestingly, Mr Harrison did decide against joining a hedge fund for his first major job in the private sector - aware that reputationally it might not be the most advisable, given the short term and controversial nature of many of them.
His job at BlackRock will focus on considering long-term investment strategies and economic trends across the globe.
So, possibly not for the general election in 2020, but by 2025, maybe Rupert Harrison MP will be on the cards.


The discovery of ice on Pluto is big news for the scientists studying our universe.

It's the latest breakthrough in space exploration and Nasa teams are currently looking into what the patches found on the dwarf planet could mean.
Hot on the heals of the discovery of flowing water on Mars it's been an exciting few months for space fans.
But how do the latest findings rank alongside some of the other things we've found out about the universe in the last 70 years?
Here's Newsround's list of the most amazing moments in space exploration ever.
Until 2005, the finest minds in space exploration had decided there were nine planets in our solar system.
As far as everyone was concerned Pluto was the ninth but that all changed with the discovery of Eris, a planet which was 27 per cent bigger than Pluto.
Both Pluto and Eris were then declassified as 'dwarf planets', and the number of official planets in our solar system dropped from nine to eight.
Exoplanets are planets that obit a different star other than our Sun - in a different solar system to the one we are in.
Even though scientists thought for a long time that they must exist, it was only in 1992 that the first exoplanet was discovered.
And further work to look for other ones has turned up some exciting results more recently too.
Earlier in 2015, scientists discovered the exoplanet Kepler-452b, which was described as 'earth's cousin' because of its close similarities to our planet.
Space experts say Exoplanets are really important because they raise the possibility that other life could exist in other solar solar systems.
The idea of of a black hole has been around for centuries, but for years it was difficult for scientists to prove they existed.
Then, in 1990, the super strong Hubble telescope was launched into space. It was designed to take clear pictures of the deepest parts of space and these pictures have helped to prove the existence of black holes.
Hubble can't see black holes themselves, but it can see where a black hole has pulled in matter from around it.
Black holes are believed to be dying stars that collapse inward from their own weight. Their pull of gravity becomes so strong that even light can't escape, which is why it looks black.
In 1976, Nasa's Viking mission became the first successful spacecraft to land on Mars.
It returned amazing colour pictures, soil samples and extensive scientific information about the planet. The craft also carried out an experiment which, for the first time, suggested that life might be possible on Mars.
Exploration on Mars has continued with the Curiosity Rover and more recently the announcement that liquid water was found on the red planet's surface. Scientists say this raises the possibility that life could exist on the planet.
The Rosetta mission became the first to successfully land on a comet in 2014.
It was seen as an historic moment as it allowed scientists to study the materials that make up a comet for the first time.
Ongoing tests from the comet hope to find out more about how the universe was formed.


There has been a "rapid deterioration" in prison safety in England and Wales, the prisons inspector has warned.

Nick Hardwick said staff shortages, population pressures and prison policy all contributed to problems, with a 69% rise in self-inflicted deaths.
The Ministry of Justice said there was no evidence linking the rise in such deaths to government policy.
Presenting his annual report, Mr Hardwick also pointed to problems involving so-called legal highs.
He highlighted the growing availability of the drugs as a cause of debt, bullying and health problems, warning their use had grown sharply.
According to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons annual report, cannabis substitutes Spice and Black Mamba were particular "causes for concern" in more than a third of the jails inspected.
It says current mandatory random drug testing does not detect legal highs and reduced staffing had made some "suspicion" testing programmes "virtually inoperable".
Mr Hardwick said profits for prisoners selling legal highs outstripped other drugs because they sold for 10 times as much as they would outside jail.
He told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "We all want prisoners to come out of prison less likely to commit offences than when they went in and if they [prisons] are not safe places where people aren't working and are not doing rehabilitation activities, then that's not going to happen."
But warning cracks in the system had "widened", Mr Hardwick's report said: "Of most concern, the number of self-inflicted deaths rose by 69% from 52 in 2012-13 to 88 in 2013-14, the highest figure in 10 years."
The term "self-inflicted deaths" includes suicides and any death as a result of the prisoner's own actions.
Bullying was a factor in "many cases", the report said, warning that adult male prisons were becoming "more violence every year".
Andrew Selous, the Conservative prisons minister, said it had been a "challenging year" for prisons staff dealing with "major organisational change".
But he added: "During this time we have always had enough staff to deliver decent and safe prison regimes, and this will continue to be our top priority.
"We remain committed to reducing violence and understanding the reasons for the recent rise in self-inflicted deaths.
"But this is a complex issue and the chief inspector has failed to provide any evidence to support his assertion that this is linked to the reforms made under this government."
Labour's shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said the report "lays bare the deteriorating conditions in our jails under David Cameron's government" and showed ministers were "burying their heads in the sand".
"The government should be alarmed at reports of prisoners idling away their time in their cells rather than being on courses or working," he added.
"It does nothing to improve rehabilitation and puts the safety of communities at risk from unreformed prisoners drifting back into a life of crime and creating more needless victims."
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report spells out in painstaking detail the mounting challenges faced by prisons and gives the lie to repeated assertions by the Ministry of Justice that the system is not in crisis.
"If prisoners are spending most of their days locked up in their cells doing nothing, while regimes are violent and wracked with drug abuse, then how can we magically expect people to be safer citizens when they are released?
He added: "The end result will only be more crime and more victims of crime."


A man has been charged with murder following the death of a woman from suspected abdominal injuries.

Kestutis Bauzys, 46, was detained on Thursday after Dzilva Butiene, 48, was found in Orange Grove, Wisbech on 5 April.
Post-mortem tests showed Ms Butiene, of Oakroyd Crescent, Wisbech, suffered trauma to the abdomen,
Mr Bauzys, of no fixed address, is expected to appear before Peterborough magistrates on Monday.


Spectacular, but pretty weird looking ice, has been spotted by scientists working in the Antarctic.

12 May 2017 Last updated at 15:36 BST
It looks just like the scales of a dragon and is very unusual - it hasn't been seen since 2007.
But what causes it?
Watch Hayley's report to find out.


The English Football League fixtures for 2017-18 have been released.

Follow the links below for your team's fixtures in full.
Aston Villa
Barnsley
Birmingham City
Bolton Wanderers
Brentford
Bristol City
Burton Albion
Cardiff City
Derby County
Fulham
Hull City
Ipswich Town
Leeds United
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Nottingham Forest
Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers
Reading
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland
Wolverhampton Wanderers
AFC Wimbledon
Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool
Bradford City
Bristol Rovers
Bury
Charlton Athletic
Doncaster Rovers
Fleetwood Town
Gillingham
Milton Keynes Dons
Northampton Town
Oldham Athletic
Oxford United
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Portsmouth
Rochdale
Rotherham United
Scunthorpe United
Shrewsbury Town
Southend United
Walsall
Wigan Athletic
Accrington Stanley
Barnet
Cambridge United
Carlisle United
Cheltenham Town
Chesterfield
Colchester United
Coventry City
Crawley Town
Crewe Alexandra
Exeter City
Forest Green Rovers
Grimsby Town
Lincoln City
Luton Town
Mansfield Town
Morecambe
Newport County
Notts County
Port Vale
Stevenage
Swindon Town
Wycombe Wanderers
Yeovil Town


Almost 80 people in Northern Ireland, including some well-known faces, have been recognised for their achievements in the New Year Honours list.

The most prestigious award is a knighthood for the jockey AP McCoy.
Boxer Carl Frampton receives an MBE for services to his sport, while rally champion Paddy Hopkirk is given the same honour for his motorsport and charity work.
Actor James Nesbitt gets an OBE for services to drama and the community.
Charity workers, police officers, civil servants, teachers and business people are also among the recipients.
Anthony Peter McCoy, better known as AP or Tony, retired earlier this year after a long and glittering career  that saw him become the most successful jump jockey of all time.
The County Antrim native rode more than 4,300 winners and was crowned champion jockey 20 times.
He described his knighthood as a huge honour and said he will use his new title sparingly and only among his friends.
"They came around to the conclusion that Sir Anthony sounded the best," he said.
"It's only my close friends who I'm going to make call me Sir Anthony.
"I think everybody else can call me Tony or AP or whatever they like."
He said he thought he was the victim of a practical joke when he first received news of his knighthood.
"I did think it was prank for a moment or two," the Moneyglass man said.
"I thought it was maybe one of my former colleagues playing one on me. I read the email I got a few times before I responded, just to make sure I wasn't being pranked."
He added: "I feel really proud that I've been able to do it for horse racing, because horse racing is an amazing game and the only reason that I'm lucky enough to receive such an honour."
In addition to his acting career, James Nesbitt is chancellor of Ulster University and a patron of the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast, which supports victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Other OBE recipients include Anne Marie Connolly, the chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and Anne O'Reilly, the former manager of the Women's Aid Federation.
Carl 'The Jackal' Frampton, a 28-year-old world champion boxer from Belfast, began his career in the Tiger's Bay area of his native city.
He is the current International Boxing Federation (IBF) world super bantam weight champion.
Paddy Hopkirk is one of Northern Ireland's best known sportsmen, having raced to victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally.
His success at the race in an iconic red Mini Cooper was considered one of the most significant events in British motorsport history.
That, along with his charitable work with the motor skills charity Skidz have earned him his accolade in the honours list.
Joining Frampton and Hopkirk on the MBE list is veteran journalist and broadcaster Anne Hailes, who was honoured for her services to journalism, broadcasting and the community in Northern Ireland, and Mary Cameron, chair of the Ulster-Scots Community Network.
The full list of Northern Ireland recipients is below:


Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie has signed for AC Milan from Italian rivals Atalanta.

The 20-year-old "will join the club on a two year loan period with obligation to buy" a statement from the club said.
The club's website describes him as " a very physical player with good technique, good pace and stamina, capable of playing in different roles."
He played 29 times for Atalanta last season scoring six goals to help them finish fourth in Serie A.
Kessie has played for Ivory Coast at all levels from under-17 to the senior team and was part of the Elephants squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon this year.


A painting of a rock daubed with the word Elvis on a Ceredigion hillside has been sent to the home of the king of rock 'n' roll in Memphis, Tennessee.

The rock has become a feature of Eisteddfa Gurig and artist Wynne Melville Jones captured it in a landscape painting.
Now, what began life has a misspelt act of graffiti in support of a politician will become a fixture at Graceland.
Mr Jones has sent it to be included in the museum.
Two men, the late film director John Hefin and David Meredith, former head of press and PR at HTV and S4C, painted the word Ellis on the rock in 1962 to show support for Islwyn Ffowc Elis, a novelist and Plaid Cymru candidate in Montgomeryshire.
However, they misspelt his surname by adding a second l, which was subsequently changed to a v and it has been known as Elvis rock ever since.
A limited edition print of this original painting has been presented to the Elvis Presley Archive at the famous mansion.
Mr Jones said: "Graceland is the most appropriate home for this painting - it has the Elvis museum and receives tens of thousands of visitors every year.
"I think this rock is like a national tribute from Wales to Elvis - the world's greatest rock star."
Mr Meredith said he was thrilled a print of the painting had been sent to Graceland and his original piece of graffiti had found such long-standing fame after being modified.
The original painting is part of an exhibition of Mr Jones's work in Oriel Rhiannon in Tregaron until 2 July.


When your closest sporting rivals are running a business with an annual team budget worth more than three times your own, then you need to be innovative in sustaining a challenge.

And when it is in a cutting edge sport like Formula 1, then teams such as Williams Martini have to make sure every penny they spend is put to best inventive use.
The UK-based team's IT director Graeme Hackland says they spend about Â£100m ($154m) a year in F1, compared with what he says is Mercedes' outlay of Â£300-350m, and Ferrari's of Â£250-300m.
But despite the spending disparity, the UK-based team, which has won the constructor's table nine times, hopes that technology, rather than splashing cash, can help them close the gap.
"We believe we can take them on," the 48-year-old South African, who has worked in F1 for 18 years, tells the BBC.
"We can't follow what Mercedes do. We want to beat people who are out-speeding us.  If you can innovate, and not just follow what other people out there are doing, then you give yourself a chance."
And Mr Hackland, who is in his second year at Williams, says that he has seen an improvement over the past 18 months, as the team has cut the lap time difference between itself and Mercedes from 1.6 seconds, to 0.8 seconds.
The team - preparing for this Sunday's US Grand Prix - now has hopes of halving that figure again, and believes the power of technology, including working with outside experts, can help shave off further tenths of seconds.
"The challenge is finding partners - those that have digital technologies that will help us get back to the front of the grid - to come and work with us," Mr Hackland says.
Whereas at one time an F1 team's mechanics were armed with nothing more than a bag of spanners and an oily rag, nowadays there are dozens of team technicians, all keenly looking at banks of screens churning out a stream of race and car data.
There are 200 sensors on the Williams F1 cars, pouring out information on things like fuel levels, oil, water, exhaust and tyre temperatures, as well as speed, engine revs per minute (RPM), clutch fluid pressure, and G-force.
However, F1 regulations mean that there can only be a certain number of team members at race trackside, so Williams has teamed up with UK telecoms firm BT to improve the connection between its crew at the circuit, and its race operations centre back in Grove, Oxfordshire.
Mr Hackland says each F1 race produces between 60 and 80 GB of raw data that needs to be sent securely, and analysed in real time, so that team managers can make informed changes that can improve car performance during practice and qualifying, and in the race itself.
He says the BT connection, at a 100Mbps speed, provides Williams' team members, wherever based, with "real time pit-stop practice data analysis, accelerated race video analysis, improved applications performance, and real time telemetry".
"The more people we can have back at our factory on race days, working on the real data in real time, the better," adds Mr Hackland, who won the F1 constructors' championship in 2005 and 2006 when he worked at Renault.
It also means there has been huge difference in voice connectivity.  Previously there would be a two to three second delay between trackside and the Oxfordshire HQ meaning that Williams team members with important contributions to make were not able to join in the conversation properly.
"Now it is very natural, if someone wants to make a point - for example for a driver - they can do so," he adds.
Another technology area where Williams hopes to progress is with regard to 3D printing of F1 car parts.  It is not alone in examining this technology, with Red Bull among others also taking part in this evolution.
"When I first came into Formula 1 back in 1997 there were 3D printers," says Mr Hackland. "Now, though, it is not just carbon fibre that can be printed, but metals and glass. We have just seen the first whole titanium bicycles, and there have been printed cars.
"Materials are getting stronger and stronger. We are all looking at it, and there is a big advantage in being an early adopter."
Whereas at present it can take four days or more to ship a Williams F1 car part from the UK, to say, this weekend's race in Texas, Mr Hackland says they are examining the possibility of taking a printer on the road to races.
"We could stick the 3D printer at track after track, and could print parts off as needed on a Saturday morning."
And, in a further bid to seek a technological edge when it comes to car construction, Mr Hackland says Williams is also looking at robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in order to try and eliminate potential human errors.
Meanwhile, back on the racetrack Williams is optimistic tech analysis will help solve some specific performance problems.
"How do we make the pit stops better?" asks Mr Hackland. "We have established that for our first pit stop the wheel nut comes off slower than on our second stop.
"It is not the fault of the pit crew. If that problem goes into next year, we are screwing up next season, so we need to get to the bottom of that. We also need to be able to detect things like this earlier.
"Also, we struggle on the slow circuits such as Hungary and Monaco. What is the problem - which part of the aerodynamics or hydraulics is the problem?  Mercedes seem to be quick everywhere, and we want to be quick everywhere."
So, can Williams - who are keen to sign other technology partners - get into the top two spots in the constructors' table next year?
"Nobody has got any illusions, getting into first or second is not going to be easy. But if I did not believe that I would not be here," says Mr Hackland, who previously worked for the Lotus F1 team.
"Technology can take Williams back to the front of the grid. We are not there to make up the numbers. I believe this path we are on."


During his first official visit to NI, Irish PM Leo Varadkar mentioned two specific arrangements which he suggested could soften the impact of Brexit across the island of Ireland.

Speaking on the future of north-south relations, he suggested the UK could have a customs arrangement with the EU similar to the one with Turkey.
Turkey's customs union gives it tariff-free access for industrial goods.
That deal does not cover agriculture, though, apart from processed products.
It is also a deal in which Turkey has little power to shape the rules.
It must apply the EU's common external tariff, but is not on the decision-making bodies that formulate tariffs.
It must also open its markets to countries with which the EU strikes a trade deal - but those countries are not obliged to open their markets to Turkey in return.
That model is not at all attractive to those advocates of a so-called Global Britain, who want the UK to have a fully independent trade policy.
The second arrangement mentioned by the taoiseach was the European Free Trade Area (EFTA).
It is effectively an organisation that allows the non-EU countries of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to participate in the single market.
Switzerland is also in EFTA, though its relationship with the EU is conducted through bilateral deals.
The political advantage is that the UK would not be subject to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) - one of Prime Minister Theresa May's red lines.
However, it would likely be subject to the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) and judicial control by the EFTA Court, the bodies which make sure EFTA members follow the rules of the single market.
EFTA also has its own trade deals which the UK could participate in and crucially EFTA members also have freedom to do bilateral trade deals.
However, there is still the question of freedom of movement.
EFTA members are required to follow EU commitments on free movement, albeit with the potential of an opt out.


The US director of national intelligence has said he "never felt pressured" to influence the inquiry into Russia's political meddling.

Dan Coats also told a Senate panel he did not think it was "appropriate" to discuss his conversations with the president at a public hearing.
His comments follow a report that President Donald Trump asked him to derail the Russia investigation.
The National Security Agency chief also declined to comment on the matter.
Admiral Mike Rogers told a Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday he has never "been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate" as NSA director.
Mr Coats echoed Mr Rogers' statements as senators pressed the pair on their interactions with the president.
"I'm willing to come before the committee and tell you what I know and don't know," he said. "What I'm not willing to do is share information I think ought to be protected in an opening hearing," Mr Coats told the panel.
He is later appearing in a closed session before the committee on Wednesday afternoon.
This Senate testimony by intelligence community heads was billed as the undercard to James Comey's appearance on Capitol Hill on Thursday, but it turned out to be a big letdown.
Top intelligence officials in the US government have taken a bunker mentality when it comes to the investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, refusing to share details of presidential conversations in open Senate testimony. Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation, it seems, has the spooks spooked.
That may come as a relief to a White House that has been buffeted by a seemingly never-ending stream of controversial revelations, from allegations that the president attempted to influence the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to reports of internal divisions within the administration.
The president and his aides shouldn't breath easy, however. Although today's testimony was largely a dud, Mr Comey - no longer a government employee, thanks to Mr Trump - will have more leeway to discuss his interactions with the president if he so chooses.
His former colleagues my have seen discretion as the better part of valour, but the former director isn't known for backing down from a fight.
Mr Coats testimony comes a day after the Washington Post reported that he told associates Mr Trump had tried to persuade the FBI to back off their investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his ties to the Kremlin.
US intelligence agencies believe Russia interfered in the US election and they are investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
But there is no known evidence of collusion and President Donald Trump has dismissed the story as "fake news".
The two intelligence chiefs joined acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify before the panel on Wednesday.
The lack of answers appeared to frustrate both Democratic and Republican senators, who repeatedly pressed the intelligence officials on the Russia inquiry.
Republican Senator Richard Burr, who chairs the committee, ended the hearing by appearing to rebuke the intelligence officials for their testimony.
"At no time should you be in a position where you come to Congress without an answer," he said.
The following day will see the much-anticipated testimony of Mr Comey, who was leading one of the Russia investigations before Mr Trump fired him.
He will be quizzed on his interactions with the president before he was sacked.
Mr Comey reportedly told Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he did not want to be left alone with the president.
The conversation occurred the day after the president asked Mr Comey to end the investigation into Mr Flynn during a private dinner, according to the New York Times.
Mr Comey believed the attorney general should protect the FBI from White House influence, officials told the paper.


The mother of a boy who went missing in Greece 21 years ago has dismissed a report that the toddler died at the time in a building site accident.

Ben Needham, of Sheffield, went missing during a family visit to the island of Kos in 1991 when he was 21 months old.
A Daily Mirror report says Greek police believe he may have been buried under rubble near his family's farmhouse.
Kerry Needham said: "I was horrified when I saw that. I know my son is alive and well and out there somewhere."
The newspaper said Greek police wanted to excavate the now-overgrown mound of earth and rubble on a property neighbouring the farmhouse which Mrs Needham's father was renovating at the time of her son's disappearance.
However, Mrs Needham told BBC Radio Sheffield: "That mound of rubble was already there when Ben was still there.
"I find it very, very unlikely that Ben is there, unless he buried himself.
"It was a shock to my system when I saw the newspaper report this morning. It is obviously an awful thought for myself and my family to have to deal with."
She said South Yorkshire Police, who have been supporting her during her search for Ben, could not confirm the report that Greek investigators now think a full excavation should be carried out.
"If that is what the Greek police want to do, then fine. Once it is proved that Ben is not dead, as I know, then maybe the Greek police will continue in their efforts to try and find him," she said.
Mrs Needham said she was continuing to receive support "24 hours a day, seven days a week".
A South Yorkshire Police statement said: "The investigation into the disappearance of Ben Needham remains with the Greek authorities.
"Should they request any help or support from South Yorkshire Police we will look to support them where we can and within our resources.
"The force's role is primarily to provide ongoing support to Ben's family, in particular his mum Kerry.
"South Yorkshire Police continues to undertake a review of material gathered locally during the past 20 years with officers also working with other agencies to examine any material held by them that might further the review."


The jury in the case of a man accused of sexually assaulting a student in Cardiff during freshers' week has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

Khalid Alahmadi, 23, also a student, was accused of attacking the 19-year-old in a park on 24 September 2015.
He denied sexual assault at Newport Crown Court.
The jury was discharged on Monday and the case was adjourned until 15 March.
Recorder Catherine Brown released Mr Alahmadi on bail.


The daughter of an Edinburgh man imprisoned in Saudi Arabia has accused the Foreign Office of not doing enough to help secure his release.

Kaulsom Uddin, 17, said her father Kausar Uddin was wrongly imprisoned during a pilgrimage to Mecca in February.
She now fears his case is in danger of being forgotten.
A spokesman for the foreign office said it was providing assistance following an arrest in Saudi Arabia in February.
He added: "We will remain in contact with their family and local authorities."
The 47-year-old taxi driver from Sighthill has already served his 35-day sentence for assaulting a policeman.
His family claim he was only trying to steady himself when he lost his balance among a large crowd and grabbed hold of the nearest person.
However, he remains in prison waiting for a Saudi Court to decide what happens next.
Miss Uddin told BBC Scotland: "I don't feel like the Foreign Office is doing enough.
"We were hoping ideally that he would be out before his sentence finishes but even after his sentence has finished they still haven't got him out.
"I just feel like its going to be forgotten about and he's going to stay there."
She said there had been lots of pushing and shoving during the pilgrimage.
She said: "My dad lost his balance so he tripped and he held onto someone's shoulder to steady himself but it was an officer. He took it the wrong way and started punching my dad.
"My dad tried to leave because it wasn't his intention to fight because he went there to be closer to god not to fight but the officer kept punching him and went after him to punch him.
"Then more officers came and took him away."
Mr Uddin had travelled to Mecca with his family, along with other pilgrims from Edinburgh's Blackhall Mosque.


Wales boss Chris Coleman speaks to BBC Sport Wales after announcing his squad to face Northern Ireland ahead of Euro 2016.

Media playback is not supported on this device


Lancashire have confirmed the signing of Zimbabwe pace bowler Kyle Jarvis on a three-year contract.

The 24-year-old, who has appeared in eight Tests and 24 one-day games for Zimbabwe, has said his long-term ambition is to qualify for England.
"Playing county cricket has been an ambition of mine for a number of years," Jarvis told the club website.
"My future is with Lancashire, with an end goal of potentially becoming English-qualified in the future."
Jarvis, who has 30 Test wickets and has twice taken five in an innings  against West Indies and New Zealand, has sacrificed his place in the Zimbabwe national team to join Lancashire.
He continued: "I have loved my time playing for Zimbabwe. I am extremely grateful for the part they have played in my development, but I feel the time is right to take on a new challenge and a new career.
"Reaching this decision has been an incredibly difficult process, but I intend to make a home for myself in Manchester and hope my stay at Lancashire far outlasts this initial contract."
Zimbabwe Cricket released a statement on Monday confirming Jarvis's decision to move to England.
The Red Rose county say Jarvis will join them as a non-overseas player, subject to registration, and will link up with them "in the near future".


A new treatment for hepatitis C "cured" 90% of patients with the infection in 12 weeks, scientists said.

The study is a "major breakthrough" and marks a "turning point" in hepatitis C treatment, said experts.
More than 200,000 people are infected with hepatitis in the UK, and deaths from the infection have increased threefold since 1996.
Only 3% of patients in the UK currently opt for the existing treatment, which only works half of the time.
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect and damage the liver.
It is passed on by the blood, or bodily fluids of an infected person, and can be transferred through tattoo needles, or people taking drugs and sharing needles.
Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Centre tested the new oral drug in 380 patients at 78 centres in Spain, Germany, England and the US in 2013.
Two studies were carried out, one in patients for 12 weeks, and another, for 24 weeks.
The patients had liver cirrhosis, indicating an advanced form of the virus.
After 12 weeks, 191 of 208 patients no longer had hepatitis C, which increased to 165 of 172 patients, or 96%, after 24 weeks.
Lead researcher, Dr Fred Poordad said: "It is fantastic. I am so excited for the patients. There is finally hope for their future."
He said the drug worked by targeting the protein that makes hepatitis C and stopping it from replicating.
"Eventually the virus is extinguished," he said.
The study worked for patients with genotype 1 infections, which account for 45% of infections in the UK. The other 45% are a genotype 3. Genotype 2 is less common.
The side affects were fatigue, headaches and nausea.
Current treatment for hepatitis C can include a year's worth of injections and involve side-effects such as depression, tiredness and feeling sick. It also is not safe for many people with cirrhosis, said Dr Poordad.
Gkikas Magiorkinis, consultant physician in medical virology at the University of Oxford, said treating the patients with cirrhosis was a "major breakthrough".
Concerns over the high toxicity and low efficiency of current treatment had meant it was not widely been applied.
"It remains to evidence the benefit of the treatment in patients with advanced liver disease," Mr Magiorkinis said.
However the study did not show if the probability of cancer dropped in the long term, if cirrhosis was reversed or progression to total liver failure slowed.
Whether or not the treatment prevented further transmission in the public was also yet to be seen, he added.
Charles Gore, chief executive at the Hepatitis C Trust, said: "This is a turning point. I think it is incredibly exciting. We suddenly have the opportunity to eliminate the virus in the UK - even without a vaccine."
Mr Gore said whether or not the disease could be eliminated would be down to political will, which he said was lacking in the UK.
He said although the study involved genotype 1, treatments for genotypes 2 and 3 were "close behind", he said.
Mr Gore said treatment could reach the UK later this year.


The Conservatives have won the Copeland by-election - beating Labour in a seat it has held since its creation in 1983.

Trudy Harrison won with 13,748 votes to Labour's Gillian Troughton's 11,601.
Ms Harrison hailed the victory - the first by-election gain by a governing party since 1982 - as "a truly historic event".
Labour's Gareth Snell held Stoke-on-Trent Central with 7,853 votes, seeing off a challenge from UKIP leader Paul Nuttall who got 5,233.
Labour had held both seats since their creation but was forced to defend them when two former frontbenchers, Tristram Hunt and Jamie Reed, resigned as MPs.
Eleven famous by-elections
Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, said the Copeland result was the best by-election performance by a governing party in terms of the increase in its share of the vote since January 1966.
Ms Harrison, who had been joined by Prime Minister Theresa May on the campaign trail, got 44.3% of the vote, increasing the Conservatives' vote share by more than 8%.
In her victory speech, Ms Harrison said: "It's been very clear talking to people throughout this campaign that [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn doesn't represent them.
"They want a party which is on the side of ordinary working people, which will respect the way we voted in the referendum and which will build a country which represents everyone. That's why they voted for me tonight."
Mr Corbyn said the party's "message was not enough to win through in Copeland" but hailed victory in Stoke as a "decisive rejection of UKIP's politics of division and dishonesty".
He added: "Labour will go further to reconnect with voters and break with the failed political consensus."
In Stoke-on-Trent, UKIP had hoped to capitalise on voters' leanings towards Brexit - the area voted strongly to leave the EU in June.
The questions facing Labour in Copeland are tumbling UKIP's way here in Stoke.
A party whose very success in achieving the thing they were set up to achieve, Brexit, brought with it a blunt question - what is the point of them now?
The answer sounded like this: winning traditionally Labour seats from Labour.
And yet here in Stoke-on-Trent, a hubbub of Brexiteer jubilation after the referendum, they failed.
UKIP insists this seat was always well down their target list.
But on a night where Labour was sufficiently vulnerable to lose a previously rock-solid seat in Cumbria, UKIP's still the bridesmaid not the bride in the Potteries.
All of which begs two questions: If not here, where? If not now, when?
Both the Labour and UKIP candidates had tough moments during their campaigns, with Mr Snell apologising over old social media posts about women appearing on television and Mr Nuttall facing a backlash over false claims he lost close friends in the Hillsborough tragedy.
But in his victory speech, the new Labour MP Gareth Snell said voters had "chosen the politics of hope over the politics of fear".
"This city will not allow ourselves to be defined by last year's referendum and we will not allow ourselves to be divided by the result," he said.
He said the result was "a victory for the whole Labour Party and Labour movement".
However Labour's share of the vote was 37% - slightly down on the 39.3% it got in 2015.
UKIP got 24.7% of the vote and the Conservatives, who came a close third, 24.4% - both slightly higher than their 2015 vote shares.
Speaking to journalists after the result, UKIP leader Mr Nuttall said his party's "time would come".
"There's a lot more to come from us," he said.
"We are not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere."
Amid rumours that the Tories might pull off a dramatic by-election gain, there was mounting anticipation in the Whitehaven sports centre hosting the count,
Unusually, election officials stopped ballot papers piling up in the trays carrying names for each candidate, meaning the final result was harder to predict.
The resulting cheer from blue-rosetted activists in the hall might have been heard all the way in Downing Street.
This is a significant political moment for Theresa May - the first time in decades a sitting government has ousted an opposition party from one of its seats in a by-election.
But the real fallout will be for Jeremy Corbyn, who has promised to reconnect with voters. He may be left trying to do so while facing further opposition from his own MPs.
UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said:  "The whole narrative of Paul's leadership depends on winning in Stoke is a nonsense."
Labour MP Jack Dromey, who ran Mr Snell's campaign, said: "I think as we win we need necessary humility because there is a view that Labour is no longer listening in the way it should do.
"I think what we have done in this community is precisely to do that.
"Are we yet a credible alternative government? No we're not. But tonight is a decisive moment."
Trudy Harrison, Conservatives, 13,748
Gillian Troughton, Labour, 11,601
Rebecca Hanson, Lib Dems, 2,252
Fiona Mills, UKIP, 2,025
Michael Guest, Independent, 811
Jack Lenox, Greens, 515
Roy Ivinson, Independent, 116
Turnout - 51.27%
Gareth Snell, Labour 7,853
Paul Nuttall, UKIP 5,233
Jack Brereton, Conservative 5,154
Zulfiqar Ali, Lib Dems, 2,083
Adam Colclough, Greens, 294
Barbara Fielding, Independent, 137
The Incredible Flying Brick, Official Monster Raving Loony Party, 127
David Furness, British National Party Local People First, 124
Godfrey Davies Christian People's Alliance, 109
Mohammed Akram, Independent, 56
Turnout - 36.7%


Warrington head coach Tony Smith has praised the character of his players after they beat St Helens to reach the Grand Final.

Tries from Kurt Gidley, Stefan Ratchford and Tom Lineham secured an 18-10 win for Wolves, a week after they secured the League Leaders' Shield.
Wire have reached two Grand Finals previously, in 2012 and 2013, but have never won the showpiece event.
"Our boys just had that determination," Smith told 5 Live Sports Extra.
"I thought we made it a bit hard on ourselves as our kicking game wasn't fantastic and we made a couple of errors here and there - even where we attacked wasn't the smartest at times.
"But I just had that feeling that no matter what happened tonight they were going to work hard for each other and that's a really big ingredient in rugby league.
"You might not be squeaky clean or perfect in some areas but if you work really hard for each other you can cover over a lot of cracks."


Swansea defender Angel Rangel will miss the rest of the season after fracturing a metatarsal in his right foot in Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Hull City.

After a scan on Sunday, the club said he will be out for eight to 12 weeks and will have an operation this week.
Right back Rangel, 34, had to be replaced by Jordi Amat after just 33 minutes at the KCOM Stadium.
The defeat, the Swans' 17th in the Premier League this season, left them three points clear of the drop zone.
This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser
Meanwhile, Paul Clement's side are hopeful Kyle Naughton will be fit for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth after missing the Hull City game with a hamstring problem,
The Swans also lost top scorer Fernando Llorente before the interval at Hull, but he is expected to have recovered from a dead leg for the Bournemouth match.
The club are also awaiting news of an ankle injury sustained by left back Martin Olsson, who was hobbling late in the game.


Port Vale have made their first summer signing by bringing in Dutch defender Kjell Knops from Eerste Divisie side MVV Maastricht on a two-year deal.

New Vale boss Bruno Ribeiro has several more foreign transfer targets in mind.
Knops, a 28-year-old centre-back, is due to be followed to the Potteries on Wednesday by two more foreign signings from French side Monaco.
"It is important to me to come and play for a manager who wants to play football," said Knops.
"That is why I was keen to come. Port Vale is new to me so, when they contacted me, I did my research. I saw a great club with a great stadium.
"League One is a good competition. It is a very good opportunity for me. I watch Premier League football on the TV so I do know a bit about English football."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


As schools and colleges in England prepare to bid farewell to the art history A-level, it begs the question: what other subjects have been consigned to academic history over the years?

Among the A-levels introduced on their arrival in 1951 was handicraft, but the discipline has been long gone by now - at an academic level anyway.
Recent years have seen resurgence in craft activities though - just look at the success of the Great British Sewing Bee.
Jen Thomas, a keen seamstress who runs her own business making bespoke accessories, says it is a shame it fell out of fashion as a course because handicraft skills are useful to have.
"DIY fashion and customising clothing is a bigger trend than ever," she says. "Embroidery is everywhere on the High Street and being able to customise and create your own clothing or bags means you won't see anyone else with the same.
"Perhaps the name put people off as it can sound twee, but you can be incredibly creative and modern with sewing and embroidery."
Is a comeback on the (homemade) cards?
It conjures up images of historic explorers or pirates at sea, using the stars to navigate oceans around the globe.
But it has been more than 30 years since students have been able to take an A-level in the subject.
Brendan Owens is an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, where much of the navigation by the stars was recorded.
He says: "Mariners used to have to be very good at maths to navigate around the world with these charts, working out the distance above the horizon, having a seaworthy clock, it is not like nowadays where we have a calculator on our phone.
"And that is the thing, we now have computing power that does all the work behind the scenes so we don't need this method. But there will always be interest in it. Even in GCSE, students are taught about the North Star so it isn't gone away yet."
Do you know your Lords from your Commons? Your first-past-the-post from your proportional representation?
Back in the early 1970s, there was a course to teach you all about it - a British constitution A-level.
Arguably the title even sounds old when you compare it with a course of today, and in a globalised world it might be seen as less important to just focus on government at home.
But gaining the qualification was a pleasure for Prof Stephanie Spencer, vice president of the History of Education Society, back in 1971.
"I absolutely loved it, but maybe because my father was a civil servant so it linked to the sort of things that we talked about at home," she says.
The course covered everything about Westminster, including how a bill becomes an act, the relationship between local and central government, and how voting systems work.
"I would say most people enjoyed it at my all-girls school," says Prof Spencer. "I think it does sound very old-fashioned now and they have incorporated it within law, which seems sensible.
"But I do wonder that if by doing that, perhaps it makes it sound 'heavier' and less accessible to students."
OK, this wasn't strictly an A-level, more of a vocational qualification for budding chefs keen to learn what the syllabus called "the language of the kitchen".
The course included being able to recognise culinary French terminology, understand instructions and orders given in French by an "aboyeur" (someone who runs a station in the kitchen) and being able to write recipes in the language.
While some chefs still believe French cuisine is where the classics are at, in general the culinary world is a little less focused on our cousins across the Channel these days.
Head chef Michael Andrews, who cooks at the Queen Inn in Dummer, Hampshire, suggests that the modern world of cooking has moved on.
"Although I'll always encourage people to know more than one language, in most kitchens it is not needed nowadays," he says.
"Knowing the old French techniques is referred to as being 'classically trained', which is generally the starting point for any chef's training.
"But although some chefs use the French terminology, a lot of chefs have English words for them as well - for example, 'mise en place' would just be prep, and certain cuts like 'julienne' is a baton.
"Saying that, we still use the French words like 'sous-vide' and 'bain-marie', but as a whole French isn't necessary in modern kitchens."


Daily Telegraph executive editor (politics) James Kirkup is to be the next director of the Social Market Foundation think tank.

He will take up his post in late March, having come to an amicable agreement with editor Chris Evans.
The former political editor at the Scotsman wrote columns, leaders, and morning political briefing emails for the Telegraph, which he joined in 2007 and where he also worked as political editor.
The Telegraph is still looking for a new political editor, following the departure of Peter Dominiczak last year.
Previous SMF directors include Times columnists:
And writer and broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart chairs its board of trustees.
Many years ago the SMF was seen as the archetypal Blairite think tank, but it has been usurped in that role by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
And there may be a vacancy in British public life for a think tank that unites so-called Blairites, Cameroons and Orange Book Liberal Democrats.
Labour peer Lord Mandelson, for instance, is infinitely closer in worldview and policy prescriptions to former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne than to his party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
The UK's first-past-the-post electoral system creates unlikely allies, because only a coalition of often disparate interests can succeed.
With UKIP regrouping, Mr Corbyn re-acquainting Labour with socialism, and the Liberal Democrats limited in scope by their small number of MPs, many people in the radical centre of British politics are lost.
Mr Kirkup's task will be twofold:


A theatre group in Germany has come under fire for allowing a white actor to paint his face and take the part of a black character on stage.

The technique - known as blackface - has been used by the Schlosspark Theatre in Berlin for its latest production, I'm not Rappaport.
Critics have likened the move to minstrel shows in the US, which traditionally lampooned black people.
But the theatre group has vehemently denied claims of racism.
The play is set in New York and depicts the friendship of two elderly men - African-American Midge Carter and Jewish Nat Moyer.
Director Thomas Schendel said they had been unable to find the right elderly black actor to play the role of Midge Carter so had opted for blacking-up 76-year-old white actor Joachim Bliese.
"Many older black actors come from the music industry, and that wasn't a fit for the play as it wasn't a musical," he told The Local newspaper.
"When we couldn't find an elderly black actor who fit the role and could speak with a perfect German accent, we opted for blackface make-up."
He said he was saddened by the controversy: "I tried to make a play about racism and ended up being called a racist".
But his comments were dismissed by the advocacy group, Initiative for Black Germans.
"There are more than enough black actors in Germany, especially in Berlin. Schendel is making excuses," said spokesman Tahir Della.
Although there is no history of minstrel shows in Germany, Mr Schendel says "blackface is part of a theatre tradition" in Germany.
And one member of staff at the 90-year-old Schlosspark Theatre told the BBC that in the 40 times I'm not Rappaport had been staged since 1987, a blacked-up actor had often been used - with no complaints.
However, groups representing Germany's black population, which numbers around 500,000, have accused some Germans of insensitivity over the issue of race in the past, the BBC's John McManus reports.
In September, a satirical comedian appeared blacked-up on a billboard poster as US President Barack Obama.
In 2009, Dresden Zoo had to apologise after naming a small baboon after Mr Obama.


Volkswagen says it is looking into more of its diesel engines to see whether they also contain software used to manipulate emissions test data.

Should the engines have a so-called "defeat device", this could widen the number of vehicles affected.
VW has been embroiled in a scandal over emissions test rigging on its EA 189 engines.
It is now looking into older versions of EA 288 engines, although versions sold in Europe are not affected.
In September, Volkswagen said that 11 million diesel vehicles were affected by the scandal, first disclosed by the US regulator, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA discovered that certain engines were fitted with a cheat-device that could detect when the car was being tested and reduced emissions to improve results.
VW had previously said that the software was installed on cars with variants of the EA 189 diesel engine built to the "Euro 5" emissions standard.
The company is now checking whether models with the EA 288 diesel motor built to the same emissions standard may also have the software.
Newer EA 288 cars built to the "Euro 6" standard are said not to be affected.
Criminal investigations have been launched in Germany and in France and Italy, and VW has faced questions by MPs in the UK.
The firm has set aside â‚¬6.5bn to cover the costs of the scandal but many analysts expect this will not be enough.


Passengers can expect travel disruption as one of London's busiest transport hubs partly closes over Christmas and New Year, rail authorities have warned.

Southern and Thameslink trains will not call at London Bridge station from Saturday 20 December to 4 January.
From 22-24 December, some Southeastern Charing Cross services will not call at London Bridge in the morning peak.
The disruption results from work to open two new platforms.
Simon Blanchflower, Network Rail's Thameslink programme director, said the closure would result in the new platforms for Southern services from 5 January.
The massive works will bring other changes.
Mr Blanchflower explained: "In the medium term, we'll be opening a new concourse from summer 2016.
"When we have completed all our works here in 2018 there will be a fantastic new facility, a new concourse the size of Wembley football pitch, new retail facilities, new travel opportunities for passengers in terms of the range of destination they can reach from this station."
Transport for London (TfL) has warned that other services on National Rail, London Overground, London Tramlink, DLR and the Tube will be busier than usual as a result of the work.
Source: Network Rail
Works will also take place to modernise nearby track and signalling equipment as part of the Â£6.5 bn Thameslink works programme.
According to Network Rail over 117 million people a year go to London Bridge or through it to Cannon Street and Charing Cross - 54 million start or end their at London Bridge itself.
Platform six is the busiest in Europe serving 18 trains per hour.
Visit BBC London Christmas and New Year travel information for more.


A Welsh Government minister has admitted that a system registering all residential landlords across Wales for the first time has faced delays.

Communities Secretary Carl Sargeant said Rent Smart Wales (RSW) had taken longer than usual to respond to some calls and emails.
RSW requires landlords to register or become licensed by Wednesday.
He said landlords who have started the process will not face action "if they have done all they can to comply".
The Welsh Government estimated there were between 70,000 and 130,000 private landlords in Wales.
It said that by midnight on Monday more than 55,000 had registered, and another 12,000 had started the registration process.
More than 81,000 users had created accounts and were involved in the process of complying, it added.
Those who do not comply could face fines.
Registering as a landlord costs Â£33.50 if completed online and Â£80.50 on paper, irrespective of the number of properties.
Mr Sargeant said: "Recent months have seen a huge rush to register.
"As a result, Rent Smart Wales has taken longer than usual to respond to some calls and emails.
"I appreciate this has caused concern for some landlords who haven't been able to complete the registration and licensing process."
He said: "Rent Smart Wales has said that those who have started the process to comply will not face enforcement action if they have done all they reasonably can to comply.
"But, this must not be seen as an excuse to ignore the law. My message to private landlords is clear. You must take action to comply with the requirements of the law."
In the Senedd last week, Mr Sargeant denied accusations by Conservative economy spokesman Russell George that Rent Smart Wales was in "chaos" with staff "completely overwhelmed" by demand.
He also rejected a call by Plaid Cymru AM Neil McEvoy to extend the deadline for registration.