St Oswald’s future looks bright – Nick Cook

St Oswald’s Hall in Bruntsfield looks set to be acquired by a not-for-profit venture that will provide much-needed community facilities, writes Nick Cook.

St Oswald’s looks set to find a use for the local community (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

In a time where proper good news is something of a rarity, I’m delighted that today Edinburgh Council is likely to agree to a community asset transfer of St Oswald’s Hall in Bruntsfield.

Sited on Montpelier Park, St Oswald’s is a former annexe of the old Boroughmuir High School, which has lain disused since the school shifted to its new site back in 2018.

Brunstfield St Oswald’s Hall Ltd, an ambitious not-for-profit venture between Bruntsfield Primary Parent Council and Edinburgh charity the Eric Liddell Centre, looks set to acquire ownership of this fantastic community space.

Powered purely by the sheer dedication and hard work of the community groups involved, the once-splendid hall looks set to undergo extensive restoration, after which it is set to become a much-needed new community hub. It is certainly the case that demand for a new facility has only grown since the 2017 closure of the nearby Cluny Centre. As well as a new space for all manner of school-age activities, the project will also help provide additional capacity for the Eric Liddell Centre to meet growing demand for its vital elderly care services for those suffering from dementia and social isolation.

Having first met with Eric Liddell Centre representatives at the formative stage of their vision for the site back as 2016, I’m hopeful that by the time St Oswald’s is ready to re-open, the current public health restrictions we are all bound by will be something of a distant memory.

Nick Cook is a Conservative councillor for the Morningside ward

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