Nine bids have been submitted to take over Glasgow’s former Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), raising prospect of the landmark Sauchiehall Street venue reopening.
Creative Scotland has confirmed that nine organisations have submitted proposals to buy or lease the building at 350 Sauchiehall Street, with all seeking to retain its use as a cultural venue.
The publicly funded arts body, which owns the property, is now assessing the applications ahead of a board meeting on 26 November, when the proposals will be considered.
The development marks an important stage in efforts to secure the future of one of Glasgow’s best-known cultural venues following the collapse of the organisation that operated it earlier this year.
The CCA went into liquidation in February, leaving the building closed and its staff facing redundancy. Its closure prompted widespread concern about the loss of a venue that had supported generations of artists, musicians, filmmakers and performers.
Creative Scotland initially received 13 expressions of interest from organisations looking to take on the building. Nine formal bids were subsequently submitted before the deadline on 30 October.
The proposals include organisations interested in taking ownership of the property and others seeking to operate it under a lease.
However, the process has also attracted criticism from artists and campaigners concerned about the potential sale of a building that has been in public ownership for more than 50 years.
An artist-led consortium involving theatre company Vanishing Point withdrew from the bidding process last month, arguing that the financial requirements and uncertainty surrounding a potential lease made its plans difficult to pursue.
The consortium had hoped to establish a new centre for contemporary performance, bringing together theatre, dance, music and visual arts.
The future of the building was raised in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday (10 November), when Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie questioned the Scottish Government about Creative Scotland’s handling of the process.
Culture secretary Màiri McAllan confirmed that the nine bids were being assessed and said she would meet Creative Scotland’s leadership before its board considers the proposals.
She told MSPs that the Scottish Government wanted the building to reopen as a cultural venue with a sustainable future.
Harvie raised concerns about the possibility of the property passing into private ownership, arguing that the successful proposal should protect its status as a public cultural asset.
McAllan stressed the historical importance of the CCA and its predecessor, the Third Eye Centre, to Glasgow’s artistic community.
The building has been associated with the city’s cultural life since the 1970s, becoming an important home for experimental art, independent cinema, music, literature and contemporary performance.
Creative Scotland has not yet identified a preferred bidder or announced when the venue might reopen.
Its board’s consideration of the proposals on 26 November will be the next step in determining whether the building can be brought back into use and who will operate it.