Public opinion could yet save the Brunton Theatre

The modernist Brunton Theatre which dominates the centre of Musselburgh is not the prettiest building – unless of course you are a fan of 1970s brutalist architecture. And concrete, lots of concrete.

I happen to love it. Until two years ago, I Iived only minutes away from the theatre which, until it closed for repairs last March, also housed a café/bistro and East Lothian Council offices.

I watched Shakespeare beamed live from the National Theatre there. My grandchildren enjoyed the annual pantomime. Oh yes they did.

Which is more than I can say for my husband who, for several years in a row, took our grandson and his friend to watch W3L wrestling bouts. He suffered the body slamming Wrestlution action with all the grace he could muster, though when he returned home after his third annual visit, he did say he thought he couldn’t sit through another one.

And now it seems he won’t have to, because council officials will recommend to councillors tomorrow that the building should be demolished. Its roof is riddled with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels, which will cost £3.6 million to replace and are too dangerous to leave in place. Officials warn that if the panels were to fail, as has happened elsewhere, there is a risk that deadly asbestos fibres would be released into the air.

Fixing the roof is “unaffordable” say council chiefs. Instead, they recommend that the building remains closed, with council offices moved elsewhere, and the Brunton Theatre Trust to continue using temporary venues across East Lothian. The report also says it will cost more than £1m to close off the venue’s heating system, but doesn’t specify how much it will cost to demolish or replace it.

No final decision will be taken tomorrow because, even if councillors agree to demolition, there will be a public consultation about the plans. Public opinion could yet save the Brunton Theatre. And I hope it does.

Nearly £30m was found to refurbish Edinburgh’s Kings Theatre, so surely it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that East Lothian Council could raise £3m to save this iconic landmark. Though I have promised my husband if it is saved, he does not have to endure another wrestling showdown.