Saved by Leith.
Owned by Leith.

Built for Leith Academy

Duncan Place was built to provide additional facilities for Leith Academy, allowing more vocational subjects and was more like a Technical College in 1920/21. It was originally a two-and-a-half-storey building with a gymnasium and stage, a wood workshop, artist studio space and classrooms. Rendered in red brick with brick dressings and with a slated mansard roof. There is a Commemorative plaque to SW elevation, which affirms its small part in 500 years of Leith education institutions.

Closed and set to be demolished

The story begins with a tragic incident in a school owned and maintained by The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). This incident prompted the urgent inspections of all their school and community properties. The CEC inspected, and closed, Duncan Place Community Resources Centre for further investigations. Some areas within the building caused them concern. With such a tragedy already having taken place, there was no way they were willing to take any risk by letting the public back into a building that may be unsafe. After a while, CEC produced various sets of financial figures and said it was uneconomic to refurbish the building. They proposed the demolition and rebuilding of only the school facilities.

This proposal was put to the council committee. Despite powerful deputations from the Duncan Place Committee and other user groups from the building, the proposal to demolish was passed. Confusingly, this did not mean that demolition was imminent. It meant that the council had the go-ahead to begin the required administrative process before demolishing a building.

The community fought against the demolition, gathering signatures on a petition and seeking information about the demolition of historic buildings. Leith Primary School is a listed building and Duncan Place sits within the curtilage of Leith Primary, therefore Duncan Place is also treated as listed. On investigation, the Duncan Place Committee discovered the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) Test.

The test is a set of criteria that listed buildings must meet before demolition can be allowed. Duncan Place did not meet all of the criteria. Historic Scotland and CECs own planning department agreed with us!

CEC proposed that the less architecturally interesting part of the school building could be demolished making way for new school facilities. At this point, the Duncan Place Committee had already begun exploring community asset transfers (CATs). Deputations were again made to a council committee meeting. The vote this time ensured that the relevant council departments worked with the Duncan Place committee. Together we explored the possibility of a community asset transfer.

Getting organised and applying for funding

Transfer of the building would only take place when a feasible business plan and the necessary funding were guaranteed. CEC provided us with a ‘letter of comfort’ to be included in our proposals to potential funders. The ‘letter of comfort’ stated that they intended to transfer the building to the community when the plans and funds were in place.

Funds were required to a) refurbish the building, and, b) explore the feasibility of ideas to run the building. It was only proper that the building was not put into community hands until the community was ready and able to refurbish and reopen the building for the community as a sustainable concern. We worked closely with the Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) and participated in many meetings with CEC.

To get refurbishment funding we needed to know how much it would cost. To know that, we had to have all sorts of surveys done and plans drawn up. We required and sourced specialist advice on listed buildings, contracts, VAT, restoration of stonework, historical plaques, interior space planning, letting out space, etc etc etc!

Discovering what refurbishment will cost is an expensive process in itself. The committee initially explored a start-up grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This would provide a maximum of £10K. This would not be sufficient. We then had discussions with the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) which would provide a maximum start-up fund of £30,000 and is aimed at communities wishing to buy an asset. As the council proposed a transfer, not a sale, it was unclear if Duncan Place was eligible. The SLF and Big Lottery had a round table meeting and discussed Duncan Place. The advice was to await the release of the Community Assets Grants fund from Big Lottery. This grant aims to empower people to create strong and resilient communities by helping them to acquire, manage or develop assets such as buildings or land.

Duncan Place was deemed eligible and a Community Assets Grants advisor worked with the Duncan Place Committee to produce a strategic plan. If the plans proved feasible Duncan Place would hopefully be successful in being awarded funding.

Funding success and the refurbishing of Duncan Place

This all came to fruition, and the Big Lottery funding was added to the SEEP funding and other pockets of funding.

The management committee wanted to refurbish and reopen the building, generating income to provide much-needed community space. The initial plan was to explore renting out space in the building with the surplus generated used to subsidise space for community use.

We carried out some community consultation in the form of a questionnaire. The feedback was very positive and people within the local area were very keen to have the resource back. We developed a website and social media.

Duncan Place Community and Enterprise Hub

Now Duncan Place is contributing educationally and economically. Duncan Place is now a community and enterprise hub. Duncan Place runs its own classes and events. We have a choir, drumming groups, LEGO user groups, craft groups, laughter yoga, Tai Chi and children’s book clubs. We also have external facilitators who run pilates, yoga and art groups. The Community space is also used by organisations for meetings and events. Leith is an area that has issues with poverty and deprivation, and we are very pleased to be able to serve the area and return as a resource to the locality.

Community Asset Transfer completed

The asset transfer between the City of Edinburgh Council and the management team and board of trustees of Duncan Place was completed in November 2024. This firmly places the much-loved community hub in the ownership of the Duncan Place charity for the people of Leith for generations to come.

Operating as a social enterprise and registered charity, Duncan Place is now home to six organisations that have long term tenancies in place with the community hub using it as their permanent base, these include Duncan Places own space, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, Edinburgh Colleges English for Speakers of Other Languages programme, Kin Collective, Home-Start Edinburgh and AdvoCard. In addition to these organisations using the hub, there are a further 40 community groups that regularly hire the space to hold their classes and events. Any profit made is used by the Duncan Place charity to offer low cost community activities. The growing programme of events can be viewed on the charities website www.duncanplace.org.

“This is a huge milestone for everyone in the community to know that the future of the hub is secure and it’s owned by the charity for the people of Leith. We always recognised the social value that the hub brought to groups and to individuals living in Leith and beyond. This is why we have been so determined over the years to ensure the building was retained in order to continue to support so many amazing organisations and local people.”Nicola Lamberton, manager of Duncan Place Community Hub

“Scottish Government provided much of the funding required to deliver the refurbishment programme for Duncan Place Community Hub and I’m delighted to see the building transformed and thriving. The model adopted by Duncan Place whereby local charities pay an affordable rent and in return receive a secure tenancy in the area is wonderful. To know that the rents raised ensure financial sustainability for the organisation, as well as enabling the hub to provide low cost community activities is something that I am proud to have supported.”Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith