So far they have mostly taken place in islands and rural areas but now a new wave of community buy-outs are being spearheaded in urban areas. One that has just been completed successfully is in Wester Hailes in Edinburgh where the WHALE Arts Centre has been working for decades with the support and help of local residents. READ MORE: Fashion and passion: Piper tells how grateful he is to play at Dior “It’s really exciting and a new way of thinking about how communities have ownership of what’s on their doorstep,” said interim CEO Kate Griffin.
“It’s a solution that does not involve selling council assets to the highest bidder but keeps community resources within the community which is really important.” Since 2000, the charity has been housed in its own building, funded by the then Scottish Arts Council. WHALE Arts in Edinburh’s Wester Hailes is celebrating after a successful community buyout (Image: Supplied) However, the centre did not own the land it was built on which was leased cheaply from the council.
Conscious that this could change at any time, with the rent either being raised to an unaffordable level or through a sale of the land, WHALE Arts decided to explore the possibility of buying the land from the council. This aim was cemented by the Covid pandemic when third-sector organisations like WHALE Arts were left to pick up the pieces after many council and government services stopped overnight. “We went from providing a sit-down meal fo.
