Work on an impressive new Edinburgh concert hall called The Dunard Centre (previously known as the IMPACT Centre') can now resume, but on a smaller scale - after the people behind of the adjacent St James development petitioned the court for a Judicial Review in an escalation of an at times bitter row between two companies.
Edinburgh St James will span five floors when it opens in Edinburgh City Centre in October 2020, and is set to turn the capital into a prime shopping destination - with over 20 million visitors expected to visit a year.
Its developers, Nuveen Real Estate, complained that lorry access to the Dunard Centre would see daily HGV deliveries being taken along a pedestrianised street, and said the height of the concert hall would block views from (and of) their W Hotel.
In response the Dunard Centre's owners threatened to sue Edinburgh St James developers after they distributed letters urging surrounding residents and businesses to object to the concert hall's development.
The original plan for the Dunard Centre was for a 1000-seat auditorium, a 200-seat studio, a foyer, and cafe bar, and is planned to replace the Queen's Hall as the home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
However, the outcome of the Judicial Review was that those plans needed to be scrapped, the concert venue must be completely redesigned and a fresh planning application submitted on a smaller scale.
Sir Ewan Brown, Chair of IMPACT Scotland, said: “Our ambition is to create a world-class concert hall for Edinburgh and Scotland. To deliver this timeously we have made significant changes to the concert hall plans in order to reflect the sensitivities of the site and the needs of our neighbours.
"We are hugely encouraged by the positive discussions we have had with Edinburgh St James and the City of Edinburgh Council and look forward to continuing to work with them to deliver a world-class concert hall.”
Martin Perry, Director of Nuveen Real Estate said: “We welcome the initiative to substantially reduce the size of the concert hall and we are happy to work with IMPACT Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council as IMPACT Scotland develops a new design which addresses our principal concerns. We hope the new design will better accord with the aspirations for this quarter of the city.”
Adam McVey, the Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council added: “I am delighted that agreement has been reached between the parties to get the concert hall back on track. This is an important new venue for our city and in one of the most sustainable locations, with fantastic public transport connections.
"We will now work with IMPACT Scotland and Edinburgh St James to continue the delivery of the regeneration of the east end of the city centre.”
