Edinburgh's Granton Waterfront: National Galleries of Scotland announces plans for major art facility

Major plans unveiled for transformation at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh

National Galleries of Scotland has announced ambitious plans to build a cutting-edge facility in North Edinburgh where many of the country’s most important art treasures will be housed. The building will offer “world-class” visitor facilities, rooms for education and community programmes, and new outdoor public spaces. The Art Works at Granton Waterfront will offer an additional 11,000m² of quality space – the equivalent of two playing fields –in what the gallery says will make the collection more accessible to the public than ever before.

Following public consultation, National Galleries has now submitted a full planning application to construct the new collection storage, community space and research facility for the national collection of art, as part of City of Edinburgh Council’s £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront regeneration project. It will be a base for more than 100,000 works of art to be cared for. The historic collection of the Royal Scottish Academy will also be housed in the new building along with the home of the Demarco Archive. Arts chiefs said the space will make it easier for public access, as well as conservation and research.

The Art Works will be created with the needs of the local community at its heart, the gallery said. Inside there will be spaces for public use, including social areas and amenities for visitors’ including a community studio, community support space, further education rooms, as well as collection viewing rooms and study spaces. Outside there will be new green routes through to the Waterfront. Several projects with local partners are underway, with completed projects including a collaboration with local charities and social enterprises to make 1000 art-themed face coverings for local people and visits for nursery groups to enjoy the community orchard which is currently on part of the site.

An artist's impression of how the Art Works will look at Edinburgh's Granton Waterfront

Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind were first put forward in 2015. Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single location. The collection is currently stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited and conditions are difficult for allowing full potential for public access, conservation and research. It also means it can be challenging for works to be made available for display and loan. It’s hoped The Art Works will resolve these problems, unlocking Scotland’s art treasures and safeguarding the future of the publicly owned, renowned national collection.

Sir John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “National Galleries of Scotland is happy to now be able to submit a full planning application following extensive consultation with the communities of North Edinburgh. This is an incredibly exciting moment in the realisation of The Art Works project. This entirely new facility will provide state-of-the- art spaces for the management and distribution of Scotland’s art, deliver world-class services for staff, researchers and visitors and provide a significant, long-term contribution to benefit and enhance the local community for years to come.”