| A New Canongate Venture |
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The Word on the Street With support from the Scottish Community Foundation, Edinburgh World Heritage and the RIAS Scottish Community Projects Fund, Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust is carrying out a feasibility study into its proposal for a Literature and Literacy Centre based in the disused Canongate Venture building in New Street. The proposal is both about restoring pride to the community and about providing opportunities for local people to take an active part in the literary arts, not just as consumers but as practitioners. The Trust believes that the arts can be a powerful force in community development as well as a sound economic investment - providing education, training and employment and business opportunities in the Old Town. Such a centre could be a start-up site for small or new businesses as well as a vehicle to unleash the creative potential of children, young people and the adult and elderly population. The study is in two parts. The first part, a conservation study of the Canongate Venture building itself is now complete. See Latest News for further information or download a copy of the Trust's press release about this study, released 12 October 2011 here. The second part will provide an assessment of the business case for such a centre in the Canongate, looking at the various strands of the proposed business, the local context and potential partners, funding and income prospects and operational structures. The report is expected by the end of October 2011. |