A LANDMARK building in the Scottish capital is to become the new House of France after its take-over by the French Consulate was given the go-ahead.
The French Consulate is to move from the West End's Randolph Crescent to Lothian Chambers in the Old Town after councillors backed the move to transform the B-Listed, 200-year-old building currently used as a registry office.
A report to Edinburgh City Council said the move would help the French Consulate "establish a wider and denser possible network of contacts throughout Scotland and in all Scottish walks of life".
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"The premises will be a homebase for the French community and an open house for artistic expressions of all kinds and backgrounds, both indoors and outdoors including during the
Edinburgh festivals, of which the French Institute has been a committed partner since the very first editions.
"The French Institute and the French Consulate General in Edinburgh wish to share its 70th anniversary with that of the Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals, and the proposed relocation coincides with a deepening of relations with Scotland in the context of the reshaping of the UK’s relationship with the European Union and its Member States."
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The new House of France will have a 100-seat auditorium, featuring an extensive programme of theatre, music, dance and artist residencies, a 20,000 book and multimedia library, offering a variety of lectures, reading groups and youth activities, an art gallery, a centre for photography and a French and European languages school.
The building also attracted interest from the Church of Scientology, a casino and a major store.
The move will save the council £170,000 a year in running costs, with staff being moved to nearby council offices.
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Gavin Barrie, economy convener, said that "if we are able to maximise the use of these buildings, relocate staff and services efficiently and make considerable savings on running costs, it makes absolute sense to do so".
Wedding bookings have been taken for the Lothian Chambers to September 2017.
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