Summerhall, one of Scotland’s best-known arts venues, has been given a reprieve after securing a new lease on the eve of its planned sale by the site’s owners.
After it emerged in May that the building’s owners had put the vast site up for sale, arts and culture leaders expressed concern about the future of Summerhall – and of Scotland’s independent arts scene.
As Edinburgh prepares to kick off this year’s Fringe and International Festival this weekend, the owners have confirmed they have offered the arts centre a new three-year lease, with a deal expected to be signed in the coming days.
Sam Gough, chief executive of Summerhall Arts, the charity set up to take over arts events at the former Royal Dick Veterinary School site, said the deal would “secure artistic outcomes at the site” after months of uncertainty.
The deal covers up to 25 exhibition and event spaces, an art gallery, a theatre and an on-site pub and beer garden, he said. “It covers all the areas that produce arts and culture. It means we can provide ongoing art here for three years and then negotiate a longer lease once the new owner, whoever that may be, has decided what they’re going to do.”
Summerhall has grown to become one of the UK’s largest independent arts venues since founder Robert McDowell bought the complex 12 years ago and funded its running and repair costs from his family trust.
However, McDowell’s brothers, who are joint beneficiaries of an Isle of Man-based trust, Osselman Estates Limited, shocked the city’s arts community and decided to sell the entire estate against McDowell’s wishes.
He is thought to have spent more than £20 million supporting Summerhall, and the threat of its closure has raised concerns about the sustainability of Edinburgh’s festivals in general, which faces rising rental, energy and production costs, as well as a steady decline in available venues.
The deadline for bids for the 130,000 sq ft site, which also includes a church, a brewery, an ice factory, a tech incubator, the archives of legendary Edinburgh arts impresario Richard DeMarco, and a small cinema and offices to be rented out to the Edinburgh International Film Festival, is September 18th.
The 110-room complex, near Edinburgh’s Meadows Park, includes former dissection rooms, laboratories and a 1960s tower block, and sales brochures say the site could become a boutique hotel, new homes and student accommodation.
Goff’s deal with Osselman Estates does not include the DeMarco archives or film festival, and DeMarco is looking for a new home for his collection. Goff is currently fundraising to cover the costs of taking over the venue, including McDowell’s 45-person staff.
Stephen Kay, of selling agents Cuthbert White, said: “We have always understood Summerhall’s importance to the cultural sector and the city. This deal gives Summerhall Arts the opportunity to keep its traditions alive whilst allowing it the time it needs to secure a longer-term future with potential new owners.”
