Fading elegance hides structure that is facing serious problems
DAVID SCOTT

THE Usher Hall has been at the centre of controversy for two years because it needs extensive repairs and renovation.

While the council assesses ways to upgrade it, the hall will be closed for public concerts over the next few months. The council is accepting no further bookings.

Councillors are about to consider whether the authority can spend £8 million to carry out urgent work to replace an outdated electrical system and carry out other vital repairs. On one occasion the hall had to be closed when plaster fell from the ceiling.

It is expected that the council will be able to find enough cash to go ahead with the repair work, but it has yet to decide how to raise the investment for further upgrading that could cost between £15 and £20 million.

The price of lost bookings because of the current closure was recently estimated at about £200,000. Officials are confident that the hall will be available for this year's Edinburgh International Festival because of an arrangement it has with its insurers allowing restricted use of the venue.

Last year, the council was confident it could win lottery funding for the upgrading designed to transform the A-listed building into a world-class concert venue. The plan included an underground front-of-house area and a new construction behind the hall for artists and performers.

The decision of the Scottish Arts Council last May to reject the plan came as a shock to councillors and officials. One senior councillor described the decision as a "bolt from the blue".

The arts council, having consulted independent advisers, including architects and management consultants, concluded that the plans for the hall "did not do justice to its status as a major musical venue in Edinburgh or to that city's standing as a European capital".

Apart from design criticisms, it was also concerned about the management of the application for funding. It claimed there have been insufficient investigation into alternative solutions, a lack of market research to ensure that the plans could be supported by increased income and a low level of "partnership funding" associated with the project.