Go-ahead for arts centre

A BID to create a multimillion pound international sculpture centre in Edinburgh has been given the go-ahead.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop has been granted planning approval for the scheme, which will be the first of its kind in the UK. Under the plans, the purpose-built centre would be built on the site of an existing sculpture workshop in Newhaven.

The £4.5 million facility, built in a former railway shed at Hawthornvale, will double the size of the existing centre, creating space for specialist workshops for artists working in wood, metal and mixed media, as well as an expanded IT suite with digital and media equipment.

Around 30 artists' studios would also be created.