City awaiting date on Usher Hall revamp

COUNCIL officials today said they expect to learn soon whether a £20 million revamp of the Usher Hall will be completed on schedule.

The city council is waiting for a report from the contractor carrying out the project, which is supposed to be finished by December.

But with construction under way at the century-old building, excavations revealed more work was needed on foundations for the new glass extension in Grindlay Street.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra had been planning to open its autumn season at the Usher Hall but recently announced it would switch venues.

It will instead perform Beethoven’s Emperor piano concerto No 5 in Greyfriars Kirk in October, giving two shows because of the much smaller audience capacity. Its next scheduled concert at the Usher Hall, the Viennese New Year Concert, on New Year’s Day, will go to the Queen’s Hall.

A spokesman for the city council said today: “We are in the process of working with our contractors to establish the exact condition that they expect the Usher Hall to be in for the new season.

“We expect to be in possession of this information soon.”