Edinburgh's Festival Square must not become like Piccadilly Circus – Daniel Johnson MSP

Proposed new Filmhouse in Edinburgh’s Festival Square must be subject to a robust consultation process, writes Daniel Johnson MSP.

An artist's impression of the proposed new Filmhouse building in Edinburgh's Festival Square (Image: Grimshaw Architects)

A lot has been written about the impact of the festival, the Christmas markets and the proposed revamp of Princes Street Gardens over the past few months.

The latest large-scale planning decision to make headlines is the new Filmhouse being proposed for Festival Square.

While Festival Square may be an under-utilised space, where previous pop-up events have had limited success, the proposed Filmhouse plans are the latest in a line of proposals that point towards a commercialisation and privatisation of public spaces across the city. A process that concerns many.

Wherever you stand on that debate, these latest plans need to be subjected to thorough and robust consultation. That consultation needs to engage with citizens across the city to make sure what is being proposed is welcome and wanted.

At the end of the day, surely it is those citizens who should benefit from a “21st-century temple for film”.

The fact that the Cockburn Association remains open-minded is obviously encouraging, but Festival Square shouldn’t become a mini Piccadilly Circus in what is a relatively small square and right next to one of Edinburgh’s iconic landmarks, the Usher Hall.

We need to make sure that development in Edinburgh is carried out for the people of Edinburgh, not to them.

Daniel Johnson is Scottish Labour MSP for Edinburgh Southern