Contractor woes see downsized Edinburgh concert hall delayed to 2029
March 12 2025
Delivery of Edinburgh's first new concert hall in over a century has struck a discordant note following the 11th-hour departure of the main contractor.
Sir Robert McAlpine has already completed pre-construction works for the 1,000-seat Dunard Centre, previously reduced in height to alleviate concerns over its scale, but will not be retained for the construction phase following a company restructuring.
The decision has forced the International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust (IMPACT) to pause further work until negotiations with Balfour Beatty to pick up the pieces are concluded.
Reports in The Herald suggest a breakdown in trust between client and contractor spurred the change in heart, with IMPACT chief executive Jo Buckley stating:"As a charity, our procurement goals have always been to ensure best value for money and maximum cost certainty. Unfortunately, we could no longer achieve those requirements with McAlpine."
This pushes delivery of the David Chipperfield and Reiach & Hall designed venue out from 2025 to early 2029.
Costs for the city centre landmark have ballooned from £45m to £114m but this gap has been closed by a successful fundraising drive, with an additional £30m in private donations received in the past year.
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