No arts organisation 'could afford to buy' CCA from Creative Scotland warns ex-bidder

The open call for expressions of interest from groups and individuals looking to take on the building, at 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, was due to close on Friday afternoon.

Creative Scotland has said it is open to a lease on the building, which it owns, however, a group led by Vanishing Point, which planned to create a "public-facing multi-artform venue" on the site, said it the bidding process was "not compatible with our vision".

When it opened the bidding process in September, Creative Scotland said “ownership” of the site was preferred over “operation via lease”.

Vanishing Point and its 11 said Creative Scotland was “not forthcoming” with information to allow it to put forward a proposal as tenants. It had planned a collaboration with entrepreneurs, Scottish theatre and dance companies and artists to create a venue inspired by similar initiatives in Quebec, Canada, Berlin and Paris.

It said in a letter to Creative Scotland: “Creative Scotland has said it is willing to accept a proposal based on lease, rather than ownership. But we need more information to put such a proposal forward in good faith, and that information is not forthcoming. Without truly understanding the parameters of a possible tenancy, we’ve concluded that the odds are too heavily stacked against us."

The CCA fell into the hands of liquidators in February, with the building immediately shut down and all staff laid off.

The government agency, which has owned the property for more than 50 years since it was acquired by what was then known as the Scottish Arts Council in the 1970s, said its "core remit, strategy and expertise" does not include "the ownership or operation of buildings or other major assets of this type" and that it wanted to pass it on to another organisation.

The building attracted 13 expressions of interest from cultural groups hoping to repurpose the venue. Creative Scotland has said it would consider leasing, selling or “transferring ownership” of the building. It had previously charged the CCA a peppercorn rent of £1 a year.

Vanishing Point said it still hoped to found a “dedicated creation centre where artists can develop, produce and present ambitious, world-class, risk-taking, internationally-minded work” elsewhere.

It said: “There are many possible shapes that this next building might take. At its centre, though, it is a place that nurtures the creation of ambitious contemporary performance. It could include many of the things we envisaged for 350 Sauchiehall Street: an affordable café, communal spaces and a programme spanning music, visual art and other disciplines. It would be a more flexible space, with greater scope for technical ambition and potential capacity for audiences.

“This space does not exist in Scotland. We have the artists, but not the space – or more accurately, artists and space are inseparable: they nurture each other, change each other. Together they create a genuinely exciting home for a city's art. We invite Creative Scotland to work with us on this project.”

A Creative Scotland spokesperson said: “Creative Scotland cannot comment on or engage in discussion with any individual bid while the bidding process is ongoing, to ensure a fair and transparent process. The open call for expressions of interest closes today, 30 October at 5pm.

“After this point, an assessment process will take place where Creative Scotland will select ‘preferred bidder(s)’ to take forward to fully understand detailed business plans before a final decision is taken.”