A popular Edinburgh bingo hall once home to Scotland's biggest movie theatre is to be protected by conservation status thanks to the efforts of the local community.
Edinburgh City Council's planning committee reversed a decision taken earlier this year to exclude the rear of the bingo hall at the former railway arches on Manderston Street from an extension to the Leith Conservation Area — despite a public consultation previously showing the back of the building included in the revised zone.
In a report, the council attempted to justify the change made by officials between the engagement process and a meeting in February where councillors agreed on the new boundary. It said the proposals included in the consultation clashed with its 'Place Brief for Leith Walk/Halmyre Street', which sets out plans for vehicle access at the rear of the building as part of future redevelopment of the site.
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Green Party councillor Chas Booth said the omission of the 96 year-old structure, which features an Art Deco interior, would leaves it "vulnerable to demolition or redevelopment". In a conservation area, demolitions and redevelopments are subject to stricter planning controls which protect buildings of historical interest.
The area's three community councils, representing Leith Harbour and Newhaven, Leith Links and Leith Central, said the council had "serious questions" to answer.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, Pierre Forissier told the planning committee on Wednesday (June 8) the bingo hall "provides a great social service to many older people and is very popular".
He added: "The building is really beautiful inside too, it is the last functioning one in Leith and a great asset.
"Back in 2021 the three Leith Community Councils grouped and wrote a letter of support to this consultation.
"We wrote: 'We Leith Community Councils would like to express our full support in response to the initiative by the council to seek views from the community about the proposal to extend the Leith Conservation Area to include the arches on Manderston Street and Jane Street along the former Capitol Theatre.'
"You can imagine how surprised we were when we discovered that on the 23rd of February 2022, the bingo hall was missing from the approval papers by the planning committee. We expressed our concerns and asked for an explanation for the situation because we were thinking that maybe the planning committee weren't given the full information. Indeed, the executive summary never mentioned that the bingo hall, once Capitol Cinema, was excluded from this vote which we thought was quite a major point.
"The question here is not whether the planning committee is against redevelopment but whether the planning committee is against protection. The bingo hall is in good condition, it's redevelopment is compatible with a new life for the building; it could be an art gallery, or Leith's museum, a bingo hall again, or a community space."
The Committee were also told the bingo hall is the "only way of socialising or communicating with other people" for many in the community.
Mr Forissier continued: "If nobody asked for the bingo hall to be removed from the conservation area, surely something went wrong within the council because it doesn't come from the people in Leith, it doesn't come from beyond Leith.
"To justify the removal of the bingo hall by just narrowing a narrow piece of heritage; Leith is more than railways, Leith is about the bingo hall, Leith is about the Shore, it's about centuries of history. We did not understand what has happened, it made no sense to us. That's why I would say it is a mistake."
A motion tabled by Mr Booth, the Greens' planning spokesperson and ward councillor for Leith, to approve the extension to the Leith Conservation Area as originally consulted, including the rear of the bingo was passed by nine votes to two.
He said: "I'm delighted my amendment was agreed today, with nearly every party in support. The community council were clear that the bingo hall is a unique asset to Leith, not simply for its impressive Art Deco interiors, but also due to the varied history of the building, and for its size and function as a meeting space for the community. I'm delighted that it will now be given a level of protection from demolition and might continue to serve the community of Leith for years to come."
Support to void the February vote came from all but Liberal Democrat members.
Lib Dem councillor Hal Osler said: "I would honestly feel very uncomfortable making another decision having already made a decision in February, so I would ask if it would be possible that we continue this because I do think it's much better if we get more information."
However, it's emerged that the party's Leith Walk councillor Jack Caldwell supported the u-turn, writing in an email to committee members: "The public consultation at no point alluded to excluding any of this property from the proposal.
"As a councillor, it deeply troubles me how much this has eroded trust already in the consultation process. Consultations are the bedrock of how the Council currently collects views and we can’t afford to nullify them by taking decisions which were never part of the consultation process, such as excluding the Bingo Hall."
Adam McVey, SNP councillor for Leith, said: “I’m delighted to see this inclusion be added and I’m grateful to my SNP colleagues on the committee for working with the Greens to get this passed.
“I shared the strong views put forward by the community that this is an important part of the character of the area and this decision will ensure its protection. It was disappointing that the Liberal Democrats not only ignored the local community but ignored their own local Councillor by failing to support the plan but it was still good to see all other parties coming together to support the best option for Leith.”
