Friday February 6th 2026
Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Plans to demolish and replace the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh have taken a step forward just months after a bid to protect the building failed.
East Lothian Council has lodged a request with its own planners for a decision on whether it needs to carry out assessment work ahead of tearing the building down.
The move is the first step before lodging plans to demolish the hall and replace it with a new community and arts facility.
In their request the council says it is planning the “replacement of the Brunton hall including up to the full demolition of the existing building and rebuilding to provide facilities for the arts and potential commercial redevelopment of the remaining land”.
The Brunton has been closed for over a year after Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was discovered in its roof with the cost of remediation considered financially unviable.
The local authority is seeking commercial partners to come in and work with them to redevelop the site, however campaigners last year urged Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to list the building in a bid to stop its demolition.
HES launched an investigation into whether the brutalist building which was opened by the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1971, should be listed but in November they ruled that while it was ‘of special interest’ development plans were too far advanced for them to intervene.
Now the request by the council for a scoping opinion will allow them to move forward with replacing it.
A council spokesperson said: “A request has been submitted to the planning authority seeking confirmation that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required for the demolition of the existing building. That request is currently being considered, and a formal response will be issued in due course.
“We have been progressing with work to ensure accommodation for the arts in Musselburgh and explore opportunities to finance a replacement of the Brunton Hall.
“A Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) has been taking place in a bid to identify suppliers, funders, or developers capable of delivering a new facility. We look forward to providing more information on the next steps in due course.”
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