New Edinburgh Festival Fringe HQ will be 'base for next 100 years’ as plans lodged

A Victorian-era school building will become a permanent home for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the next 100 years, organisers of the event have revealed as plans for its transformation were lodged.

The new complex on Infirmary Street, near the Pleasance Courtyard, the Festival Theatre and Dovecot Studios, is aimed at creating a visible “legacy” of the 77-year-old festival within the city’s cultural landscape.

It is hoped that the new venture, which has been at least seven years in the planning, will become "the embodiment of the Fringe's rich history and its inspirational future."

The former South Bridge School, near the Pleasance Courtyard and Assembly Roxy venues, is earmarked for a new headquarters for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

The Fringe Society has also promised to “radically transform” the carbon footprint of the B-listed building, which dates back to 1885, by giving it a “sensitive retrofit” and ensuring it becomes "a model of sustainable development.”

The Fringe Society, the arts charity which oversees the running of the festival, has revealed the first detailed plans for the project since securing a lease agreement with the city council, which owns the building.

Memorabilia drawn from throughout the history of the event – which has long been the biggest celebration of culture anywhere in the world - is expected to go on public display at the complex, which will be known as “Fringe Central.”

The former South Bridge School, which has been home to a community learning and education centre in recent years, will provide "essential space" for the Fringe Society's own staff to run its year-round advice, support and marketing services from.

The South Bridge Resource Centre will be turned into a permanent new home for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

However Fringe Central will also offer local arts organisations year-round spaces for events, rehearsals and co-working.

Plans lodged by architects LBA with the city council say their brief was to “upgrade and adapt the building so that it is suitable and sufficiently flexible to serve the organisation for the next 100 years.”

Their design statement states: "The Fringe Society is a pivotal institution in the arts world, dedicated to preserving and promoting the unique ethos of the Fringe – founded on the principles of inclusivity, experimentation, and imagination.

"The refurbishment of 6 Infirmary Street is more than a building project. It's the embodiment of the Fringe's rich history and its inspirational future.

"The new home will not only provide essential space for the operational needs of the society but also serve as a cultural hub that fosters community engagement and embodies the inclusive and creative spirit of the Fringe.

"This project will ensure that the Fringe continues to be a beacon of arts and culture, deeply rooted in its founding values and ready to face the challenges presented by the dynamic global arts environment.”

The Fringe Society secured £7m in funding for the project from the UK Government last year, but was given permission to reallocate £1m for its new “Keep it Fringe Fund,” which was created to help artists and companies meet the costs of staging their shows, this year and next.

A spokeswoman for the Fringe Society said: “We’re restoring this wonderful heritage building in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, and the heart of the Fringe, returning it to full use for the next 100 years.

“Fringe Central will focus on offering accessible and affordable space for our own services year-round, as well as affordable rehearsal and workshop rooms, co-working and desk space for Edinburgh’s performing arts community, and opportunities for collaboration and peer-to-peer showcasing.

"We’ll welcome artists and industry from all over the world to build a professional network for Fringe artists globally.”