The Tron Kirk
POSTED ON February 25, 2021
The future of Edinburgh’s iconic Tron Kirk is once again uncertain
The announcement that Edinburgh World Heritage has pulled out of its lease and project proposals for the Tron Kirk is a huge blow for the heritage of Edinburgh. The Tron is a Category A-listed building that sits in the heart of the Old Town. Its deteriorating condition and lack of a long-term use finds it on the Buildings at Risk Register. It strikes us as very odd that the Council was unwilling to contribute a share towards a project that will secure this historic building’s long-term future in the full knowledge that the financial and other liabilities will now return once again to the Council, becoming their full responsibility.
We appreciate that times are incredibly hard for the local authority, as it is for all if us, and that the Council must make difficult choices. The Tron project envisaged by EWH provided the opportunity to invest in the historic fabric of the city, which would also reinforce the city’s tourism offer, given that the vast majority of people visit Edinburgh because it is a historic city.
The Tron is also the spiritual home of Edinburgh’s traditional Hogmanay celebration. It could perhaps be described as ironic that £800,000 per annum is given to the organisers of Edinburgh’s modern Hogmanay events, but nothing is apparently left in the city coffers to save this iconic building.