NEW DESIGN FOR DUNARD CENTRE

Images released today of the proposed new design for the Dunard Centre supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, reveal an opportunity to make an inspiring contribution to the city’s cultural rebuild.

DUNDAS HOUSE SETTING - VIEW FROM ST ANDREW SQUARE

One of the boldest ventures in the city’s recent past, Edinburgh’s first purpose-built music and performance venue in over one hundred years will rival the best in the world in acoustic quality and audience experience, bringing together architect Sir David Chipperfield, recognised throughout the world for high quality architecture in sensitive heritage sites and leading acousticians Nagata Acoustics, established international authorities in the field of concert hall design.

As the cultural flagship for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the Dunard Centre will fill a recognised gap in the region’s cultural infrastructure and provide a platform for local, national and international musicians to perform to audiences in the very best environment.

The 1000 capacity hall is designed with the flexibility to welcome the widest possible range of acoustic and amplified music and performance to a mid-sized venue. The simple elegance of the exterior reflects the surrounding neoclassical design of the Edinburgh New Town and opens up an undiscovered area of the city centre, linking the St James Quarter, St Andrew Square and the Register Lanes and contributing to the regeneration of the area.

IMPACT Scotland’s Co-Chairs Fergus Linehan and Gavin Reid commented:

AUDITORIUM - ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

Fergus Linehan: “We are delighted to unveil the stunning design for the Dunard Centre which will be a truly transformational venue in the heart of Edinburgh. 

“The restrictions throughout the pandemic have highlighted the enormous contribution participating in the performing arts, whether as an audience member or a performer, makes to our wellbeing. It is a great honour to be leading a project which will make such a positive and inspiring contribution to the city’s cultural rebuild.”

Gavin Reid: “As well as being a creative hub hosting music and educational experiences of all kinds, the Dunard Centre will reach out beyond its own walls to be an inspirational springboard for outreach work across the city and beyond.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said:

"The Dunard Centre is an exciting prospect for Edinburgh's cultural landscape. 

"These designs show the great potential for a new, dynamic creative space in the heart of the city.

"The UK Government is investing £10 million in this project as part of it's £1.5 billion commitment to Region Deals across Scotland, helping communities everywhere to build back better from the pandemic."

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Adam McVey said: 

“The Dunard Centre is an exciting and important new cultural venue for our Capital. This is the first purpose-built concert venue in Edinburgh in more than 100 years which will expand Edinburgh’s landscape for enjoying music and the arts.  It is in a prime central and sustainable location, with fantastic public transport connections and will complement the wider transformation of the east end of the city centre alongside the opening of the Edinburgh St James Quarter- ensuring that our City centre remains a vibrant and thriving destination.”

Malcolm Buchanan, chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, said:

“The Dunard Centre is an exciting proposition that will enrich the city’s education, music and arts communities and one that we are proud to be part of.

“Royal Bank of Scotland has supported Scotland’s arts sectors throughout its 300-year history, three centuries which have cemented Edinburgh and the country’s position as a capital for global culture.

“The Dunard Centre will play a role in continuing that tradition and create further opportunity for another generation of artists and performers.”

Sir David Chipperfield said:

“Tucked behind Dundas House and on axis with George Street, the Dunard Centre occupies a strategic site linking the formal qualities of St. Andrew Square and the New Town with the more intimate atmosphere of lanes around Register House towards the new St. James Quarter. The identity of the building is determined by its circular form, contributing to the silhouette of the city and enclosing a 1,000-seat hall. This flexible world-class facility is designed to adapt to a wide-ranging programme of performances and cultural activities, ensuring it will serve as a meaningful new addition to the life and fabric of Edinburgh.”

The redesigned building will house:

• 1000 capacity auditorium with the capacity for live streaming, digital capture and broadcasting  

• flexible multi-purpose rooms for education, conferencing and hospitality

• foyer with informal opportunity for performance

• café/bar with indoor and outdoor seating

The space has been skilfully re-imagined to create a world-class auditorium of exceptional acoustic quality in the heart of the city, retaining the 1000 capacity, while reducing the size of the proposed building.

The budget for the project remains at £75 million, with two-thirds of this being met by private philanthropy and fundraising.  £35 million is being donated by Dunard Fund, and a fundraising campaign for a further £15 million has already received significant pledges. As part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal the UK and Scottish Governments are each providing £10 million, and City of Edinburgh Council £5 million. 

A variation to the planning application is being submitted this week. If planning permission is granted, construction will begin in 2022, with an estimated build length of 3 years.

£40m City Region Deal funding unlocked for Edinburgh Innovation Park

The business case supporting development of a flagship food & drink innovation hub in East Lothian has been given the green light by officials, unlocking £40m City Region Deal funding for Edinburgh Innovation Park. The full business case was passed by Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Joint Committee after a presentation by joint venture partners for the development, Queen Margaret University (QMU) and East Lothian Council.

The Food and Drink Innovation Hub is supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government, £1.4 million from the Scottish Government and £10 million from East Lothian Council as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.  The deal is a £1.3 billion regional investment programme jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments and regional partners.  

Closely aligned to the University’s strengths, the hub will focus on food and drink related innovation within the context of health and wellbeing and will include serviced laboratories and office accommodation as well as facilities for events. It will accommodate facilities of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation, already a successful research partner to the food and drink sector, and will offer access to equipment, knowledge and skills to support product development and product launches.​ As well as bricks and mortar, there will be a full programme of activities to foster innovation, boost female entrepreneurship, and address market and societal need.

The innovation hub is in a prime strategic location next to the QMU campus on the boundaries of both Edinburgh and Midlothian. The hub will be the anchor for Edinburgh Innovation Park which will be developed over time to create a nationally significant centre of knowledge exchange, innovation and high value business growth.

Work will commence immediately to select the design team and finalise designs for the hub. Construction is expected to begin early in 2023 and will be completed in 2025.

Sir Paul Grice, Principal, Queen Margaret University said:

“This is great news for East Lothian, and for Scotland’s food and drink sector, especially as it relates to society’s health and wellbeing. The committee’s approval to release £40 million City Deal funding will aid economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic by bringing quality jobs and investment to the area, and by supporting an important sector through research, knowledge exchange and skills training. Together with our joint venture partners East Lothian Council, we can now move forward to realise our vision of a strategic, sustainable development that will promote inclusive growth.”

Councillor Norman Hampshire, depute council leader, said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to reach such an important milestone for this exciting project which will promote inclusive growth locally and regionally and create a significant number of new jobs and skills pathways. East Lothian, Scotland’s food and drink county, is the perfect location for a Food and Drink Innovation Hub.

“The importance of growing the economy has been heightened by the challenges of the pandemic and the need to focus on securing a strong recovery. In one of Scotland’s fastest growing areas, we must provide opportunities for good-quality, local employment as well as opportunities for young people.

“This is Phase 1 of our plans for the wider Edinburgh Innovation Park providing a unique opportunity to transform a strategic economic development site, owned by East Lothian Council.

“Working with our partners, the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and Queen Margaret University, this project will deliver significant benefits for the people of East Lothian.”

James Withers, Chief Executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said:

“Despite the challenges the industry has faced over the last year, Scotland’s food and drink sector has huge opportunities ahead of it, both in markets locally and globally. Pivotal to grasping these opportunities is innovation and increasing the collaborative working between Scotland‘s universities, research base and our food and drink producers. This investment is exactly the kind of catalyst to make that happen.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said:

"Scotland already has a global reputation for quality food and drink and this new hub will cement its place as a world in leader with a focus on the new fields of health and wellbeing.  This will bring new companies and investment to the area and create jobs.  

"Across Scotland the UK Government is investing more than £1.5 billion into City and Growth Deal projects, helping communities to build back better from the pandemic."

The Scottish Government’s Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said:

“I’m very pleased to see progress being made in the delivery of the food and drink innovation hub, funded through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, that will bring high quality jobs to the area as well as increase skills and foster innovation in the food and drink sector.

“City Region and Growth Deals will be a crucial part of our economic recovery from the pandemic as we work towards a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. We are investing £300 million over 15 years to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal across transport, housing, culture, innovation and skills to help achieve this.

“This is a crucial time for business, trade and investment in Scotland and investing in our communities will ensure every part of Scotland recovers from the pandemic, helping build an economy for everyone.”

Regional Prosperity Framework - Consultation

Partners across the region have been working hard to deliver on the Edinburgh and South East Scotland (ESES) City Region Deal that will bring £1.3 billion investment over 15 years. This partnership has helped us to develop a Regional Prosperity Framework, and it is on this document that we are reaching out to you for comments, feedback and ideas on what matters to you for our region.

The ESES region has a very strong platform to build on, but there are issues that we need to address to support our regional prosperity. These include:

• the response from Covid-19;

• the need to address societal imbalances across the region; and

• the urgent need to deliver this within a net zero emissions context.

The Regional Prosperity Framework is a draft plan to grow and recover our economy sustainably. It looks at everything from transport and housing to education and digital inclusion; to economic development and climate change.

The key themes of the Regional Prosperity Framework are to secure:

• a FLOURISHING economy, environment and ecology, households and places;

• a RESILIENT workforce, climate responses, infrastructure and buildings; and

• an INNOVATIVE Private Sector, Third Sector (including Further and Higher Education) and Public Sector.

This consultation is open to individuals, businesses and other organisations, professional bodies and charities.

The Regional Prosperity Framework will inform future policy creation across many organisations – all aimed at ensuring the region is as resilient as possible, despite current challenges, and has the right infrastructure to be a key contributor to the economy of Scotland.

Find out More:

• view the webcast of the approval

• read the full Regional Prosperity Framework

Complete the online survey with your comments, feedback and ideas on what matters to you for our region:

The consultation launches on Monday 14 June 2021 and the closing date for responses is 11:59pm on Monday 26 July 2021.

Complete the online survey or

Email your response to: ESESCR.CityDeal@edinburgh.gov.uk

Alternatively post your response to: 

Aleks Bogacz, Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, Waverley Court (Area 2.1), 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG.

We look forward to hearing your views on this vital issue.

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Stakeholder Survey

We need your views!
Take the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Stakeholder Survey

From improved housing and transport to intensive family support and data-driven innovation, the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is moving into an exciting new phase of delivery across its five themes and many projects.

To continue to engage with the right stakeholder groups across the whole of South East Scotland and communicate our impacts in the best possible way, we would like to hear your views on the Deal via this short survey. It will take no longer than five minutes to complete and the results will help us understand levels of interest, awareness and engagement with the Deal among target audiences.

The information you provide is anonymous but there is an option to include your email address if you wish to be added to the City Region Deal mailing list.

Thank you for your input!

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Fast-access help for City Region small businesses made big difference during first year of COVID-19

Seventy-seven businesses across the City Region have received help to stay afloat during the pandemic thanks to a specially designed rescue fund.

The micro-businesses were offered the chance to apply for small grants between £500-£1,000 with no restrictions on sector or length of trading history.

The fund helped a diverse range of businesses, from small local retailers to events and tourism companies to buy equipment for remote-working, diversify their trading offers, and purchase goods or services to allow them to remain open with the new restrictions in place.

The businesses received funds within two weeks of approval of their applications and have reported that it helped them keep over 100 people in work.

As a result, these businesses – which otherwise may have had to close their doors, make redundancies or end employment contracts – were able to continue trading and keep their employees.

The Integrated Employer Engagement (IEE) fund was designed and launched through Business Gateway and the City Region Deal’s skills and employability partnership channels. The IEE team are part of Capital City Partnership, who lead and coordinate the local job strategy group and were fully supportive of the fund’s objective to help businesses continue trading under new government guidelines and prevent job losses.

Through consultations, the IEE team and Business Gateway identified a gap in the wide array of Covid19 response funds for accessible, up front small enterprise grants for micro businesses.

For more information, visit: capitalcitypartnership.co.uk/city-region-deal