Labour’s Cammy Day finally agrees with me about Granton Gasometer – John McLellan

A cultural quarter in Granton could include a new home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, writes John McLellan.

The Granton Gasometer could be turned into a concert venue. Picture: Ian Georgeson

Council Labour group leader Cammy Day has been dusting off the idea of turning the Granton Gasometer into a concert venue, but the principle of creating a new cultural hub with plans to redesign the nearby collection centres for the National Galleries and Museums is worthy of proper exploration.

As it stands, the resurrection of the Granton tram plan is a means to connect the thousands of homes the council wants to build on the Waterfront with job opportunities elsewhere in the city, but does not look at Granton as a destination in its own right. A major venue could be the spur it needs, so to speak.

And looking back I found this: “Creating sustainable employment opportunities to reduce commuting is easy to say and difficult to do, and a couple of museum stores with research facilities won’t make much difference. But with a wider vision and the involvement of the universities, a significant focal point could redefine the area. It might even include another prominent listed building, the infamous Gasometer.”

Yes, that was indeed this column in October 2017, so I’m grateful to Cllr Day for backing me up, even if it took over two years.

Now with the Dunard Concert Hall hitting the rocks, maybe the cultural quarter could also include a new home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on a much more straightforward site which could still be a landmark design without breaking the bank. Thousands of homes with major attractions at their heart and the means to get there sounds like a plan.