Construction on Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in more than 100 years will finally begin before Christmas as the cost of the delayed project has rocketed.
Impact Scotland, the charity responsible for delivering the Dunard Centre has signed a £162 million contract with Balfour Beatty to oversee the work behind RBS’s historic headquarters in St Andrew Square.
The contract has been agreed nine years after the project was first announced and follows the injection of an additional £20m by First Minister John Swinney, three times its initial funding to “secure the future” of the 1,000-capacity venue. The funding has been matched pound-for-pound by philanthropist Dr Carol Colburn Grigor.
Work is due to begin on site within weeks and construction is set for completion in 2029.
The Dunard Centre is part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal through which the Scottish and UK Governments have each committed £10m, alongside £5m from Edinburgh Council.
Alongside the public funding, Impact Scotland has raised over £100m to date from private philanthropy, setting a new capital funding record for a cultural project in Scotland.
The charity’s fundraising is seen as a demonstration of how public investment can be used to leverage significant philanthropic giving and deliver exceptional return on investment from government support. Impact continues to actively fundraise, with plans to launch a public campaign once main construction is under way.
However, the project has been beset with problems. There was a dispute with the developer of the neighbouring St James Quarter, forcing the concert hall planners to reduce its proposed height to avoid obstructing views from the ribbon hotel.
A breakdown of talks with previous main contractor McAlpine caused further delays and put the project in doubt. It emerged in 2023 that the cost had leapt from £75m to nearly £115m, and now sits at more than £160m. The Scottish government funding has enabled construction work to finally begin.
Jo Buckley, chief executive of the Dunard Centre, said: “This is a huge milestone for the Dunard Centre, and an historic moment for the city, which has looked forward to this new venue for many years.”
Supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Dunard Centre will be the first UK venue with acoustics by the globally renowned Japanese firm Nagata Acoustics, and the first concert hall anywhere in the world designed by David Chipperfield Architects with Reiach and Hall Architects.
The venue will host all types of music — from pop and rock, to classical, folk and jazz — as well as providing a permanent home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and a new venue for the Edinburgh International Festival.
Open all day every day, the venue will open up new public pathways in Edinburgh’s New Town. Social and economic impact assessments carried out this year by the Dunard Centre show that the venue will generate £267m in gross value added (GVA) over its construction and first 20 years of operation.
Expected to attract 200,000 visitors and support nearly 300 jobs each year, it is projected to increase spend in Edinburgh and the surrounding region by £8.6 million a year.
Around 17,000 people are expected to benefit from a far-reaching engagement programme each year, with skills development programmes, apprenticeships and lifelong learning delivered in partnership with schools, cultural and third sector organisations.
Ronnie Bowie, Impact Scotland chair, said: “Ambitious projects like this really do only come about once in a century, and they are driven forwards by the strength of their partnerships.
“Delivering a major infrastructure project of this kind, amidst the global and economic challenges we have seen in recent years, has been no small feat and is a testament to the strength and perseverance of the delivery team.”
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