Museum of Fire in Edinburgh

The motion

That the Parliament calls on the Scottish Government to reconsider the sale of the former fire station on Lauriston Place in Edinburgh, which houses the Museum of Fire; recognises the historical significance of the building, which was built in 1900 as the Central Fire Station of Edinburgh Fire Brigade and is the last surviving Victorian fire station in the UK; further recognises the role of the museum in telling the story of James Braidwood, who founded the world’s first municipal fire brigade in Edinburgh in 1824; considers that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service decides on measures to control its budget following the move to a single Scotland-wide service in 2013; notes the role that Historic Environment Scotland, which is a public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment, plays as a statutory consultee for applications such as this; understands the concerns that local people have, including conservationists and the local community council, that their proposals to take over and manage the running of the museum in its current location, for example through the setting up of a trust, have not been listened to; notes that 5,349 people have signed a petition to stop the sale of the building, which it considers signifies the strength of feeling regarding the issue; calls on the Scottish Government to consider the issue and whether to undertake a feasibility study to assess the merits and potential for different ways to keep the museum at the building, for example through the setting up of a trust; commends all involved in the campaign who have shown tremendous passion for the issue, and wishes them all the very best in the pursuit of their goal.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Con 23 Lab 5 SNP 1 Green 1 LD 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S5M-01500 by reference.