Edinburgh levelling up bid to seek £42 million for theatres and concert halls and Inch Park regeneration

AuthorDonald Turvill
Published date20 June 2022
Publication titleEdinburghLive (Scotland)
A separate application will be submitted in an effort to secure investment for a major redevelopment of Inch Park

Officials are preparing the council's entry to the second round of the UK Government's Levelling Up fund ahead of the fast-approaching July 6 deadline.

This week councillors will be asked to approve the application to the £4.8 billion pot, which has been reserved for investment in local infrastructure across the country until 2025. A previous successful bid by Edinburgh saw £16 million awarded to the restoration of the Granton Gas Holder.

This time, the council is turning its attention to the city's festival venues and will seek £22.1 million to "renew and revitalise" cultural infrastructure and boost artistic opportunities in Edinburgh's most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

If Westminster backs the bid, funding would be spread across several existing projects including the regeneration of the King's Theatre, Leith Theatre, the Queen's Hall and the Usher Hall.

It would also close the remaining funding gap for the completion of the Macmillan Hub, a new community arts centre for Pennywell and Muirhouse, as well as cover some of the costs of an extension to the WHALE Arts building in Wester Hailes.

The bid states: "The first Edinburgh Festival was held in 1947 to 'provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit' by bringing people and artists together through culture after a period of global turmoil. As we emerge from the COVID pandemic, this is the moment to revitalise this ambition.

"Adding to recent investment such as the flagship city-centre Dunard Centre and the University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute, this project would broaden cultural engagement and help revitalise communities."

The Council is also set to apply for £20...

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