The 1,000-seat Dunard Centre, planned as a major cultural venue, was initially set to move forward under Sir Robert McAlpine, which completed pre-construction works last year. However, due to a company restructuring, McAlpine was not retained for the main construction phase.

Negotiations between McAlpine and the International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust (IMPACT) Scotland, the organisation behind the project, had been well advanced. However, in June — following the demolition of an old computer annex behind the Royal Bank of Scotland on St Andrew Square — IMPACT Scotland decided to seek a new contractor.

Jo Buckley, chief executive of IMPACT Scotland, explained the decision, stating that McAlpine was no longer the right fit for the next phase of construction. “This led to a temporary pause on-site in recent months,” she told The Herald.

She attributed the change to McAlpine’s strategic withdrawal from Scotland and a shift in its UK priorities. “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.”

A new negotiation process with Balfour Beatty is now underway, and construction cannot proceed until a final agreement is signed. As a result, the concert hall’s opening—originally scheduled for 2025 — has been pushed back to early 2029.

Despite the delay, there is good news for the Dunard Centre, which will serve as the home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) and host Edinburgh International Festival performances. The project’s cost has risen significantly, from an initial estimate of £45 million to £114m as of late 2023. However, Buckley announced a major financial boost, with an additional £30m in private philanthropy raised over the past year.

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Joint Committee, which has contributed £25m in public funding, received an update last week on the project’s progress. Buckley hinted at forthcoming details on international investments that would bring significant attention to the project.

The Dunard Centre, designed in collaboration with renowned acousticians Nagata Acoustics and David Chipperfield Architects, will be the first concert hall of its kind in the UK. The venue is named after the Dunard Fund, established by American arts philanthropist Carol Colburn Grigor, which is a key private financial backer of the project.

Buckley described the ongoing tender negotiations with Balfour Beatty as “very detailed and robust.” She acknowledged that finalising the contract has taken longer than expected due to the complexity of pricing a highly bespoke building with maximum cost fixity. However, she emphasised that spending time now to ensure a solid agreement would prevent cost overruns later.

“We are still targeting the end of 2028 for the main construction to be completed, with an opening in early 2029,” Buckley said. “We are doing everything we can to minimise further delays, particularly given the impact of inflation on overall costs.”

Updated cost projections and a revised business case are expected to be published this summer. Buckley acknowledged the challenges of undertaking such a large-scale construction project in a World Heritage Site but remained optimistic: “We haven’t come this far to stop now. We are within touching distance of making this a reality.”