EDINBURGH bosses are being urged to step in to prevent “one of the world’s great arts venues” from being turned into student flats or a boutique hotel.
The famous Summerhall centre in Newington will be sold off by Isle of Man-based owners Oesselmann Estate Limited, it was announced earlier this week.
But their suggestion the building could be used for student flats or a boutique hotel has sparked concerns among Edinburgh residents and Scotland’s cultural sector more widely.
On its website, Summerhall boasts of being home to “award winning theatre, avant-garde art, [and] the best live music in the country”.
Writing in The Guardian in 2014, film director Mark Cousins hailed it as one of the best art venues in the world.
Now Tommy Sheppard, the MP for Edinburgh East, has written to the council asking them to intervene to ensure the building remains a cultural hotspot.
In a letter to Labour council leader Cammy Day (above), Sheppard said there was a “very complicated patchwork of legal arrangements in place for the operation of the buildings” involving more than 100 separate leases, some of which still have “many years to run”.
He said: “It provides some comfort that the building is being sold with these leases in place as it will prevent the wholesale redevelopment of the site, but it doesn’t guarantee Summerhall’s future as a centre of the arts in Edinburgh in years to come.”
Day was urged to take a “proactive approach” and convene a group of senior officials with experience in planning as well as cultural and economic development expertise.
READ MORE: Future of iconic cultural venue in question as owners announce sale
Sheppard (below)said this group should use the council’s “existing powers to prevent the sale and development of parts of the site which are incompatible with its overall purpose”.
Doing this would “dull the attractiveness of the site to speculators and those who may be eyeing it with the intention of making huge future returns on the site at the expense of its current ethos”, he added.
In a statement the SNP MP added: “It’s crucially important that any sale has at its heart the ecosystem that Summerhall supports and the huge contribution it makes to the cultural landscape of Edinburgh.
He went on: "If your officials determine any constraints to them fulfilling this task and have suggestions of legislation that could be amended in order to reach this goal, I’d be grateful if you could let me know what these are in some detail and I’d be happy to raise this will the Scottish Government alongside council representations."
Summerhall Management, the firm that operates the venue, welcomed Sheppard’s support.
Chief executive Sam Gough said: “This proactive approach from [Edinburgh City Council] would be the best way of safeguarding Summerhall as a cultural and community resource.”
Council leader Day said: "I was disappointed to see the news that Summerhall is set to be sold and I understand the concern for the future of this well-loved cultural institution.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and will continue to do so alongside our partners. I’m encouraged to see that this matter will also be raised by the Member for Edinburgh East with the Scottish Government.
“We remain in dialogue with the operators and have an emergency meeting in place to discuss these new developments. We’re committed to preserving and enhancing the capital’s wider cultural sector going forward and the Summerhall site forms an important part of this.”
Selling agents Cuthbert White were approached for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel