Item No 6 b - Central Library Development Report

8/11/2019 Item No 6 b - Central Library Development Report

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Item noReport no

Central Library Development

Policy and Strategy Committee

6 December 2011

1 Purpose of report

1.1 To seek Policy and Strategy Committee approval in principle to develop

investment proposals for the Central Library and surrounding buildings as acultural destination centre for Edinburgh.

2 Background

2.1 Central Library is located within the George Washington Browne building, theHenderson Building and the annexe of No 9 George IV Bridge. The libraryrequires to be upgraded, with electrical and mechanical installations at the end

of their life, inadequate storage display conditions for valuable collections andmany areas of the building inaccessible to people with disabilities.Improvements to the public spaces and facilities are needed to meet modernpublic expectations of a capital city library and keep pace with best practise inproviding a high quality modern library service.

2.2 In June 2008 Council agreed that the Annexe of 9 George IV Bridge be sold

and the capital receipt used to address the most urgent health and safetyinvestments required. Since this decision, the property market in Edinburghhas been affected by the global economic downturn and City Development hasadvised that it would be unwise to market the Annexe until current marketconditions improve.

6(b)PS/37/11-12/CD & SfC



3.2 Due to a change in the availability of surrounding assets and property, there isnow an opportunity to take forward a more strategic development of the Central

Library and surrounding area, giving the potential to create a real culturaldestination point for the city.

3.3 The Council owns a number of buildings and sites on George IV Bridge,Victoria Street and Cowgate. These comprise the Central Library on George IVBridge; the Annexe currently housing the Children’s and Music libraries; a gapsite to the rear fronting the Cowgate; a former Social Work office on VictoriaStreet and the former Cowgatehead Church on Cowgate.

3.4 The gap site to the rear was originally identified as a potential extensionopportunity for the library; however development of the site has not beenpossible due to funding issues. Whilst it is being used as temporaryaccommodation in the short term, it is surplus to operational requirements. Thebuilding on Victoria Street has recently been vacated by Health and SocialCare and the former Cowgatehead Church is also surplus.

3.5 The current redundant assets are valued at a low level due to their disparatenature, lack of access and the current economic situation in the world financialmarkets. The pooling of Council property assets at this location provides aunique opportunity to create a development platform for a major redevelopmentproject which could attract significant private sector investment and deliverthe regeneration of this part of the city. The surrounding area hosts a vibrantliterary life including the National Library of Scotland. This and its prominent

position between the galleries on the Mound and the Museums in ChambersStreet makes it ideally suited as a key resource in the literary and culturallandscape of Scotland’s capital city.

3.6 Discussions with the adjacent owners RBS, have developed a concept forwider regeneration that would deliver high quality building regeneration, publicspaces and access, including completely refurbished library facilities within theexisting George Washington Browne building. The proposal would also includea new quality hotel development with restaurant and retail facilities. The planswould deliver quality development at each building level from the Cowgate,Victoria Street up to George IV Bridge.

Vision



3.9 As a revitalised attraction the library would be designed to improve the use ofspace and deliver better customer service, offering greater flexibility around

rapidly developing new digital technologies, creating new opportunities forculture, learning and access.

3.10 Developing the Central Library at the centre of the world’s first UNESCO City ofLiterature would underpin Edinburgh’s status as a cosmopolitan and inclusivecity. The development would extend and improve access to world classcollections - Council holdings are outstanding and they cover the history ofScotland and Edinburgh, literature, printing, photography, fine art, music, works

on politics, industry, invention and technology – with many of these subjectsthemselves encapsulated in the history of Edinburgh and its people. Thecollections have a broad significance in terms of the social, industrial,commercial and cultural history of the city, and the nation.

3.11 This ambitious project would deliver a library service that would:

• Create a destination for thousands of tourists seeking out Edinburgh’scultural heritage resources and its range of facilities as a visitor attraction

• Become a nexus for knowledge, city information, reading, and referrals toand from other services

• Provide a vibrant city centre hub with an appealing mix of leisure, informationand learning services meeting customer expectations and demands

• Produce an intelligent city with excellent digital resources, support andlearning opportunities

3.12 Initial draft proposals have been developed which would include retention of theGeorge Washington Browne building within Council ownership with sale orlease of the redundant assets outlined in paragraph in 3.3 and 3.4. The nextstep will be to develop a joint proposition with the owners of adjacentproperties which will be the subject of a further report to Committee.

4 Financial Impact

4.1 Draft proposals have been examined by CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), anindependent commercial real estate advisor in relation to the potentialcommercial terms and value which could be achieved by pooling both theLibrary building and surrounding redundant assets into a single regeneration

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4.3 The principles of this type of legal framework and approach have beenindependently verified for the Council by retained legal advisors.

4.4 The Council now requires to develop the legal and commercial framework toprogress these proposals. Therefore the Council will be exposed to initial legaland commercial costs, pending agreement to the legal documentation. Thecosts will be reflected in a subsequent adjustment to any agreed sale/leaseprice. Should the project not progress the Council would require to meet theseinitial legal and commercial costs. Costs could be up to £50,000 and would bemet within existing budgets.

5 Equalities Impact

5.1 Equality of opportunity will be advanced both in terms of accessing servicesand the provision of learning opportunities which improve life choices andcreate new opportunities for culture, learning and access.

For people with disabilities, access to the building, movement around thebuilding and the facilities on offer will be much improved following therefurbishment.

The refurbishment will help to foster good relations by celebrating diversitythrough the stock collections, showcasing the Ernest Levy archive whichpromotes community cohesion and tolerance.

Consideration has been given to the relevance of the Equalities Act 2010. Apre-assessment has been carried out in relation to this report and has beenscored at three; therefore a full Equalities Impact Assessment is notrequired.

6 Environmental Impact

6.1 The environmental impact of the proposed changes to the buildings will be

detailed once the project proposals are developed.

7 Conclusions

7.1 The Council, in conjunction with Royal Bank of Scotland (the adjacent propertyowners) has the opportunity to create a high quality cultural hub in the centre of



8 Recommendations

8.1 Policy and Strategy Committee is asked to agree the followingrecommendations:

a) to remit the Directors of Services for Communities and City Developmentto create a team to direct and develop a joint proposition with RBSincluding the development of the library and redundant assets as part ofa single regeneration project for the proposed area.

b) to note that any capital receipts generated for such a project are likely tobe needed for reinvestment in the project and that a further report will bepresented to Council once detailed financial proposals have beendeveloped.

Mark Turley Dave AndersonDirector of Services for Communities Director of City Development

Appendices 1 - Estimate of prioritised Mechanical & Electrical works (CentralLibrary)

2 - The Vision for Central Library Development

Contact/tel/

EmailSusan Mooney - Head of Service529 [email protected] Liz McGettigan - Library & Information Services Manager529 [email protected] Jonathan Guthrie - City Development529 4254 [email protected]

Wards affected All

mailto:[email protected]








Appendix 2

Vision for the Central Library Development

Item No 6 b - Central Library Development Report

Documents

Transcript of Item No 6 b - Central Library Development Report