Music centre plans for Edinburgh’s Royal High School approved

The City of Edinburgh Council has been recommended to approve plans to transform the Royal High School into a £55m music centre.The Royal High School Preservation Trust’s (RHSPT) plans for the refurbishment of the A-listed 19th century building were recommended for approval by the Finance and Resources Committee.These are expected to be approved when the local authority committee meets on Thursday.Councillors narrowly rejected controversial plans for a £75m luxury hotel project before removing the 125-year lease from Duddingston House Properties in January.The neoclassical landmark, built in 1829 by Thomas Hamilton, has been lying largely empty since the school relocated in 1968.It was previously proposed as a home for the Scottish Parliament and a new national photography centre, before the council launched a competition seeking proposals for a hotel redevelopment in 2009.The trust’s proposals include the creation of a concert hall alongside the already approved St Mary’s Music School, with spaces for classical music education, community access and engagement and performance.According to committee papers, the trust will pay an initial £1.5m to secure the 125-year lease agreement, with a £1 per annum charge every year thereafter.Most of the £55m budget for the project will be funded by the Dunard Fund, with £10m coming from endowments.A secondary bid for the site to become a care village is set to be rejected, with council papers noting the music school “provides a greater level of certainty around the potential deliverability of the proposal”.