On Monday 28 September, tenants of St Margaret’s House received an email notifying them they were required to vacate the building by 24 January 2027.
The nine-story building, owned by Caledonian Trust, has been leased by Scot-ART to “budding artists, crafters and community organisations” since 2008.
Located on Floor 0 of St Margaret’s House is Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive, which works to preserve LGBTQ+ books (primarily those published 1970 -2000). It is open to visitors Tuesdays and Thursdays and hosts community events, including Sunday Social Book Cafés, author events, and workshops.
Bob Orr, Co-Founder of Lavender Menace, said that the “everyone in the Archive will always be grateful” for the space St Margaret’s House has given it to “establish itself” and grow over the years.
While Lavender Menace will continue operations in St Margaret’s House for the remainder of the year, they “have been able to successfully raise funds from the community and various organisations,” meaning the “hunt” for a “suitable premises to continue [their] projects and services” goes on.
With previous deals having fallen through, Scarlett Land and Development brought the property back on the market last year.
In this process, emphasis was placed on the approved planning for mixed use development including residential, retail/commercial, hotel and student accommodation.
Scarlett Land’s founder Will Scarlett told Scottish Construction Now that the building is “one of the last large-scale sites in Edinburgh available for PBSA development, especially considering recent changes to planning policies and competing demands for space”.
This development includes 75-150 residential units, with 18-37 affordable homes being required.
“St Margaret’s House, Edinburgh” by itmpa is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
