The director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe says he hopes that any redevelopment of The Assembly Rooms is done in such a way that it remains a major Fringe venue.

The director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe says he hopes that any redevelopment of The Assembly Rooms is done in such a way that it remains a major Fringe venue.

Yesterday The Herald revealed that Bill Burdett Coutts, who has presented comedy and drama at the venue for the last 30 years, may quit when City of Edinburgh Council redevelops it in a £12m scheme.

The project would see shops established in its ground floor as well as a restaurant.

Mr Burdett Coutts said 2010, when the work is scheduled to begin, could bring an end to his long-lasting association with the venue.

Last night Jon Morgan, director of the Fringe, said: "We work with all our venue managers and the City of Edinburgh Council to make sure that venues can be transformed into creative spaces for thousands of Fringe goers.

"I would like to see The Assembly Rooms refurbished because the building is beginning to look frayed around the edges but, I think any work should be done in a way that allows it to continue to be a fantastic Fringe venue."

He said he hoped the redevelopment could be done in a way which would allow Mr Burdett Coutts to carry on with his work during the festival period.

Mr Burdett Coutts said: "If the work goes ahead, I won't be here I don't see the point in carrying on. It would be a tragedy, it is a unique building."

The council said it fully intends The Assembly Rooms, a key Fringe venue and one of four biggest, along with Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly, which market the spaces as a separate comedy festival this year, to operate as an arts venue once the revamp is complete.