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Dateline: 28th September, 2007
Upgrading Edinburgh Edinburgh City Council has decided to go ahead with the proposed refurbishment of the Assembly Rooms in George Street, in spite of the opposition from the city's four non-commercial theatres (Festival, King's, Royal Lyceum and Traverse) and William Burdett-Coutts, who runs the Assembly as a Fringe venue. The planned revamp, which will turn the ground floor into commercial use and will take 22 months to complete, has not changed, despite the council setting up a scrutiny panel which made the recommendation to the Culture and Leisure Committee that there should be a "re-examination of the business case, full and detailed consultation and that an indicative report be prepared by officials in the overall capital position" and the appointment of consultants PMP to examine the "provision and potential investment needs of Edinburgh’s theatres, venues, galleries and museums." The convener of the the Culture and Leisure Committee, Deidre Brock (SNP), told The Stage that holding up the plans until PMP reports would add £1.5m to the costs and added that there would be "very full consultation with all the stake holders of the city". She added that the council remains committed to the King's Theatre, which is well-known to be in great need of refurbishment and pointed out that they have commissioned an "options study" for the theatre. Meanwhile the same committee has agreed to give the North Edinburgh Arts Centre the remaining £50,000 of its annual grant, which is not due until November and which a report from council officials recommended should not be paid because of the uncertainty of the Centre's future. It currently has a deficit of £68,795 with a much larged loss projected. Has the council refused the grant, the Centre would have had to close immediately. As it is, the staff is being reduced to a very basic level and all live performances cancelled, although the Starcatchers theatre programme for young children will continue. Now director Claire Hicks, who only took up her post in June, and her staff will concentrate on finding other funding and, possibly, raising a loan.
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