Summerhall Edinburgh: MP urges council to 'step in' as thousands sign petition to save beloved venue

There has been a lot of strong feeling following news that the popular arts venue has gone up for sale

Thousands of people have voiced their dismay following news that Edinburgh’s Summerhall buildings have gone up for sale.

The news comes 13 years after the building was transformed from a vet school into a vibrant arts building and leading festival venue. 

Owners announced the news on Tuesday afternoon but insisted that all programmed events, including this year’s fringe festival, will go ahead. Property consultants looking after the sale advertised that the beloved venue has the potential to become a boutique hotel or student housing - sparking outrage from members of the public. 

Thousands of people have signed a petition to save the Summerhall venue in Edinburgh. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

A petition launched in the hours following the news has gained nearly 6,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, with supporters including politicians and famed Edinburgh author Ian Rankin. Earlier today, Tommy Sheppard, SNP MP for Edinburgh East wrote to the council leader, urging the local authority to ‘step in’ and ‘create a Summerhall masterplan’.

Writing on social media today, Summerhall owners said: “Thank you for your tremendous support - from your petitions to messages to action groups - in light of the news yesterday, we truly appreciate it and are heartened to see such an outpouring of love for Summerhall.”

They added: “The best way people can support Summerhall and the artists is to buy tickets to events, attend the exhibitions and to visit the pub. We are not going anywhere.”

Hundreds of Edinburgh residents have shared their views regarding the beloved venue. One said: “Summerhall is just about the last space in Edinburgh that genuinely supports local long-term creative arts. Edinburgh needs this place. I cannot begin to number how many songs, shows and ideas have come out of this place since 2011.”

 “For all Edinburgh’s ‘ohh, we have this enormous international arts and culture festival’, there are precious few music and arts venues left here the other eleven months of the year. Can we not lose Summerhall, please?” another added.

Writing on the petition another wrote: “It would be a crime to lose such a unique creative space. I hope city and civic leaders are paying attention.”

Summerhall has become a leading venue during the fringe festival in the last decade

The two-acre Southside venue, which opened in 2011, is home more than 100 independent companies, including Barney’s Beer and Pickering’s Gin. It is understood all resident companies will remain on site until their leases have expired.

Providing an update yesterday afternoon, Sam Gough, ceo of Summerhall Arts, said the whole team are ‘committed to the long-term survival of the immensely important cultural work that was started here in 2011.’

Summerhall director and founder Robert McDowell added: “Against my personal wishes, a majority of the shareholders voted to put the premises up for sale.

“My hope is that we come through this intact and able to continue as before, perhaps even better. We proved ourselves a valuable part of what makes Edinburgh a great city and fully international. We are honoured that there is so much love and support, let us hope for the best.”

Edinburgh MP, Tommy Sheppard said ‘the council must do everything it can to ensure it doesn’t simply become more student housing or another hotel.’ Writing an open letter to the council leader, Cammy Day, Mr Sheppard described the news as ‘concerning’.

He wrote: “I believe that the council should now step in and take a pro-active approach, rather than potentially waiting to consider prospective applications in a piecemeal way. It is essential that a long-term masterplan is developed for the site and I would ask you to convene a group of senior officials with planning, cultural and economic development expertise to begin the process of putting together such a plan with stakeholders and in consultation with the public.

“This group should marshal all the local authority's existing powers to prevent the sale and development of parts of the site which are incompatible with its overall purpose. Announcing such an approach and declaring an intention to only consider planning for new developments within this framework would, I believe, dull the attractiveness of the site to speculators and those who may be eyeing it with the intention of making huge future returns on the site at the expense of its current ethos.”