Edinburgh community demands action over former pub left to deteriorate for a decade
Residents angry about a former Edinburgh pub left to deteriorate for the past decade are to hold a protest at the site.
The Busy Bee pub in Saughton Mains - which appeared in Trainspotting 2 - closed in around 2016 and locals say it has now become an eyesore blighting the area.
The pub - originally built as Saughton Mains Congregational Church - is owned by Fiona Clarke, whose father bought it around 1970, converted the building, and let it on a 99-year lease to Bass Taverns, who were taken over by Mitchells & Butlers, now one of the biggest bar and restaurant groups in the UK.
But residents say neither owner nor tenant has acted to stop the once popular venue from falling into disrepair. And they are calling for the building to be either tidied up or knocked down and the space given to the community.
The community council has organised a "community gathering" next to the Busy Bee next week to allow people to voice their frustration.
Pat Carr, chair of Stenhouse, Saughton Mains and Whitson Community Council, said: “The Busy Bee was at one time a well used community pub but for many years now it has just been both a physical and a social blight on our community..
“It has been left to fall into serious disrepair with no attempt made to even clean up the graffiti nor to maintain the surrounding green space, which falls to the tenants of the pub.
“This eyesore has had an impact on any residents living in the vicinity who have tried to sell their homes. Plus, for residents in homes nearby, this is not the view that you want to see when looking out your windows.
“Neither the owner nor the tenants Mitchells & Butlers have bothered to do anything with this building apart from having it tidied up to be used for a film sequence in 2021 for Trainspotting 2. If this building had been kept maintained as it was for that, then this would not have become the eyesore and problem that it is now.
“We as the local community council will be holding a small meeting alongside the Busy Bee on July 10 at 2pm, and we hope that as many residents come along to support us in the hope that someone will finally take notice and get something done. Either repair it or demolish it and give us the space back for better community use.”
Ross McKenzie, independent councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie, has met with both the owner and the tenant and sees little prospect of the building being brought back into use either as pub or for the community.
He said: “The building has been abandoned for almost 10 years now and neighbouring residents are asking why it isn't being used, developed or maintained.
“The landowner has no incentive to end the lease and Mitchells & Butlers don't intend to reopen it as a pub. It was clear that the investment required to make the building safe would prevent it from being opened up for community use.
“The main community demand is to get the whole area cleaned up because it's really badly overgrown, it's in a terrible state.
“Mitchells & Butlers make a huge amount of money out of Edinburgh - they own All Bar One, Toby Carvery, Miller & Carter. They're doing really well out of Edinburgh and at the same time they've left this property in dilapidation. As a gesture, in terms of corporate responsibility, they should make a nice space out of that area for the community.”
Fiona Clarke said she understood the residents’ frustration about the state of the Busy Bee.
She said: “The building has deteriorated under Mitchells & Butlers and their subtenants — despite my efforts to enforce repairs, including a formal dilapidations schedule served in 2022.
“As the freeholder, I don’t control the site day to day. I honour the lease, which still has 44 years to run, and expect the tenant to do the same.
“I remain open to constructive solutions — but they must start with M&B taking responsibility for the building’s condition and their legal obligations.
“My hope remains that the Busy Bee can one day return as a positive asset to the community.”
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers, said they had tried to sell the lease on the pub. “Despite being openly marketed to attract a new occupier, there has been no viable interest in operating the site as a public house.
"We have also actively explored alternative uses for the building, but progress has been hindered by restrictions within the lease. Realistically, we now believe the building to be beyond it's usable economic life.
"In light of this, Mitchells & Butlers has made a proposal to the freeholder to demolish the building. We are committed to working closely with the freeholder, local stakeholders, charities, and the city council to explore and deliver a new use for the site.”