Serious talks on the future of the Byre Theatre in St Andrews are at an advanced stage and there will be a report to Fife Council’s executive committee next month on the way forward.
That was the message from Fife Council leader David Ross, who was responding to claims by Fife Liberal Democrat Group Leader Tim Brett that the Labour administration must “stop dithering” over the future of the Byre.
Mr Brett called on the Labour administration to “come clean” on their plans for the theatre , which still has an uncertain future more than a year after it went into liquidation and closed.
The Courier reportedlast Friday how pressure is mounting on Fife Council to find a solution.
The Friends of the Byre, which has proposed the reopening of the Byre as a community venture, believes its proposal could be the way forward if the council is not able to strike a deal with the Fife Cultural Trust.
It comes as the council continues its discussions with various parties, including St Andrews University. Fife Council, supported by Creative Scotland, says it is actively working to deliver a sustainable, long-term future and discussions are continuing with a number of interested parties.
In the meantime, the council has expressed delight at the reopening of the Byre again last week for StAnza, and hopes to be able to offer a similar arrangement for a number of one-off community productions due to take place this year.
But Mr Brett, who met the chief executive of the Fife Cultural Trust, said the trust is still awaiting a response to its proposals, four months after submitting them to Fife Council.
Mr Brett said these proposals, which he has seen, demonstrate that the trust is confident the Byre Theatre could be reopened with an exciting programme of visiting productions as well as community use.
Mr Brett said: “Fife Cultural Trust has the experience and capacity to do this and has spoken to other key players in the theatre world in Scotland. These include the National Theatre of Scotland, which is interested in using the Byre as its home in the east of Scotland as well as working with the Cultural Trust to develop a programme with writers, directors and performers who are looking at longer-term writing and development plans.”
Mr Brett said the Fife Cultural Trust has been given assurances that additional funding of £100,000 per year will be provided by Creative Scotland for a three-year period, in return for the administration of Fife Council committing to continue providing the present levels of financial support in the longer-term.
Fife Council leader, councillor David Ross, said: “It is not true to say that the Fife Cultural Trust has been waiting for a response from the council for four months.
“The trust submitted a proposal to the council before Christmas and since that time there have been a series of discussions with the trust, at both officer and councillor level, on these proposals to assess the level of risk they entail for both the trust and the council and to determine whether they are deliverable.
“The council is also considering expressions of interest from St Andrews University and from the Friends of the Byre. The administration certainly isn’t ‘dithering’ about the Byre but we have a duty to look seriously at all the options for its future and to ensure that these are deliverable and sustainable over the long-term.”