2014
Closed and set to be demolished
The story begins with a tragic incident in a school owned and maintained by The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). This incident prompted the urgent inspections of all their school and community properties. The CEC inspected, and closed, Duncan Place Community Resources Centre for further investigations. Some areas within the building caused them concern. With such a tragedy already having taken place, there was no way they were willing to take any risk by letting the public back into a building that may be unsafe. After a while, CEC produced various sets of financial figures and said it was uneconomic to refurbish the building. They proposed the demolition and rebuilding of only the school facilities.
This proposal was put to the council committee. Despite powerful deputations from the Duncan Place Committee and other user groups from the building, the proposal to demolish was passed. Confusingly, this did not mean that demolition was imminent. It meant that the council had the go-ahead to begin the required administrative process before demolishing a building.
It is our understanding that CEC had a statutory duty to provide school facilities but did not have a duty to provide community facilities. With budgets being cut left, right, and centre the CEC was evident that there was no budget to replace and run a community centre.
The community fought against the demolition, gathering signatures on a petition and seeking information about the demolition of historic buildings. Leith Primary School is a listed building and Duncan Place sits within the curtilage of Leith Primary, therefore Duncan Place is also treated as listed. On investigation, the Duncan Place Commitee discovered the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) Test.
The test is a set of criteria that listed buildings must meet before demolition can be allowed. Duncan Place did not meet all of the criteria. Historic Scotland and CECs own planning department agreed with us!
The section of the building that housed the community centre was seen as architecturally interesting. The section housing the school gym and nursery, however, was not of architectural interest. It also has a commemorative plaque on the southwest elevation that is viewed as being of importance.
https://canmore.org.uk/site/302280/edinburgh-4-duncan-place-duncan-place-resource-centre
This took CEC to the following position:
- it legally has to provide the school facilities but has no space to build them
- budgets have been slashed
- it is cheaper to rebuild than to refurbish
- the building should not be demolished
Various CEC departments, including the planning department, put their heads together. Consultations were carried out with the Leith Primary Parents Council (LPPC) and the community from Duncan Place. A proposal was established.
CEC proposed that the less architecturally interesting part of the school building could be demolished making way for new school facilities. At this point, the Duncan Place Committee had already begun exploring community asset transfers (CATs). Deputations were again made to a council committee meeting. The vote this time ensured that the relevant council departments worked with the Duncan Place committee. Together we explored the possibility of a community asset transfer.
Duncan Place History
The history of Duncan Place began with its construction in 1921. It has had many guises and uses over the years and nearly ended with demolition in 2014. Saved by the community in 2016, and subsequently refurbished in 2018 to 2020 and given a new lease of life as Duncan Place Community Hub.
2015 - 2018
Getting organised and applying for funding..
Transfer of the building would only take place when a feasible business plan and the necessary funding were guaranteed. CEC provided us with a 'letter of comfort' to be included in our proposals to potential funders. The 'letter of comfort' stated that they intended to transfer the building to the community when the plans and funds were in place.
Funds were required to a)refurbish the building, and, b)explore the feasibility of ideas to run the building. It was only proper that the building was not put into community hands until the community was ready and able to refurbish and reopen the building for the community as a sustainable concern. We worked closely with the Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) and participated in many meetings with CEC.
To get refurbishment funding we needed to know how much it would cost. To know that, we had to have all sorts of surveys done and plans drawn up. We required and sourced specialist advice on listed buildings, contracts, VAT, restoration of stonework, historical plaques, interior space planning, letting out space, etc etc etc!
In addition to this exhaustive list, we required a fully researched business plan, cash flow projections etc showing that the community could sustain the building.
This was a lengthy process. CEC was fully committed: they ring-fenced money to install a lift to make the building more wheelchair accessible. They also included Duncan Place in an application to the Scottish Energy Efficient Programme (SEEP), which was successful. The SEEP grant provided insulation for the walls and roof, a 'green' lighting system, and a 'green' heating system.
Discovering what refurbishment will cost is an expensive process in itself. The committee initially explored a start-up grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This would provide a maximum of £10K. This would not be sufficient. We then had discussions with the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) which would provide a maximum start-up fund of £30,000 and is aimed at communities wishing to buy an asset. As the council proposed a transfer, not a sale, it was unclear if Duncan Place was eligible. The SLF and Big Lottery had a round table meeting and discussed Duncan Place. The advice was to await the release of the Community Assets Grants fund from Big Lottery. This grant aims to empower people to create strong and resilient communities by helping them to acquire, manage or develop assets such as buildings or land.
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/community-assets
The Community Assets Grants fund from Big Lottery can provide up to £1m.
Duncan Place was deemed eligible and a Community Assets Grants advisor worked with the Duncan Place Committee to produce a strategic plan. If the plans proved feasible Duncan Place would hopefully be successful in being awarded funding.
2018-2020
Funding success and the refurbishing of Duncan Place...
This all came to fruition, and the Big Lottery funding was added to the SEEP funding and other pockets of funding.
The management committee wanted to refurbish and reopen the building, generating income to provide much-needed community space. The initial plan was to explore renting out space in the building with the surplus generated used to subsidise space for community use. Ideas at the time included:
- long term tenants
- hot desking for business start-ups
- artists studios
- organisations requiring meeting and training rooms
- organisations delivering health, art, music, fitness, etc classes open to adults and children in the community on a paying or funded basis
- previous user groups
At this point the management committee wanted:
- to appoint a consultant to undertake a feasibility study & help prepare a business plan
- to explore what has worked elsewhere
- to have a condition survey carried out to inform us of the repair, conservation, and costs of refurbishment and fit-out
- to carry out community engagement activities to back up our initial research on what is needed and wanted in this historic building
- to explore apprenticeships in trades and traditional crafts
- to build the capacity of the volunteer management committee: training, mentoring etc
- to explore appropriate governance
Given the investment required, we were not in a position to ask people to sign anything however, we had already been approached by a national charity, which hires space elsewhere to run classes for people with learning disabilities, a local charity, and an artist for permanent space to rent. The local Community Councillors and some of the local political groups had also indicated that they struggled to get accessible meeting space and would be interested. Several hundred artists were on waiting lists for space across the city, and studio space was within our scope of investigation for future use.
We carried out some community consultation in the form of a questionnaire. The feedback was very positive and people within the local area were very keen to have the resource back. We developed a website and social media.
2022 - Today
Duncan Place Community and Enterprise Hub
Now Duncan Place is contributing educationally and economically. Duncan Place is now a community and enterprise hub. Duncan Place runs its own classes and events. We have a choir, drumming groups, LEGO user groups, craft groups, laughter yoga, Tai Chi and children's book clubs. We also have external facilitators who run pilates, yoga and art groups. The Community space is also used by organisations for meetings and events. Leith is an area that has issues with poverty and deprivation, and we are very pleased to be able to serve the area and return as a resource to the locality.
2024 - Community Asset Transfer completed
The asset transfer between the City of Edinburgh Council and the management team and board of trustees of Duncan Place was completed in November 2024. This firmly places the much-loved community hub in the ownership of the Duncan Place charity for the people of Leith for generations to come.
Operating as a social enterprise and registered charity, Duncan Place is now home to six organisations that have long term tenancies in place with the community hub using it as their permanent base, these include Duncan Places own space, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, Edinburgh Colleges English for Speakers of Other Languages programme, Kin Collective, Home-Start Edinburgh and AdvoCard. In addition to these organisations using the hub, there are a further 40 community groups that regularly hire the space to hold their classes and events. Any profit made is used by the Duncan Place charity to offer low cost community activities. The growing programme of events can be viewed on the charities website www.duncanplace.org.
Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith added:
“Scottish Government provided much of the funding required to deliver the refurbishment programme for Duncan Place Community Hub and I’m delighted to see the building transformed and thriving. The model adopted by Duncan Place whereby local charities pay an affordable rent and in return receive a secure tenancy in the area is wonderful. To know that the rents raised ensure financial sustainability for the organisation, as well as enabling the hub to provide low cost community activities is something that I am proud to have supported”.
Councillor Mandy Watt, CECs Finance and Resources Convener, said: “This milestone has been years in the making and we’ve enjoyed seeing Duncan Place brought back into use. Now, the council is giving ownership of the building back to the people of Leith.
“It’s brilliant news for the area and a good example of collaboration and partnership working between the public and voluntary sectors. Everyone from local councillors to group members have supported this project moving forward.
“The revitalised Duncan Place building will not only help to reduce inequality by providing much needed affordable space for events, classes and workshops, it will support jobs and support local people, acting as a true community hub.”
Duncan Place Community Hub has been part of the fabric of Leith since 1920. Under the Community Empowerment Bill, the ownership of the building was transferred from the City of Edinburgh Council to the Leith community in 2024.
The hub is home to six charities and supports a further 40 community groups. Academy Arts has been using the community centre on a weekly basis since 1978.
