A few years ago – more than I care to remember – I had a summer job working at the St Brides Centre, and one of the performances was from the Brunton Theatre.
The impact of the institution’s work has always gone beyond its Musselburgh home, but since the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in 2023 its future has remained in doubt, despite a decision in principle to build a new theatre on the same site. That it’s a valuable cultural asset for East Edinburgh as well as East Lothian is not in doubt, but it seems East Lothian Council is at a loss as to how to take forward the plans for a replacement.
The building is not listed but is in a conservation area, so the old building can’t be demolished without a plan for what will go in its place, so the appointment of a design team is needed as a matter of urgency before any more time is lost. The Impact concert hall project in Edinburgh, repeatedly delayed and now on pause while a new contractor is found and the budget continues to spiral, shows what happens when valuable time is wasted.
Someone at East Lothian Council needs to get a hold of this project and make sure it happens. Maybe the new chief executive Laurence Rockey, who witnessed many public relations disasters in his time at Edinburgh City Council – and then worked with ex-Scotland Secretary Alister Jack, who really knew how to get things done – has arrived in time.
