Local news briefs
Artists painting the Coeval building
Image by andrewtcrummy
From The East Lothian Courier
Thursday 26th July 2007
Arts protest defies site owner
By East Lothian Newsroom
27/7/07
ARTISTS and residents in Prestonpans staged a mass demonstration in front of the run-down former Fowler’s Brewery headquarters on High Street on Tuesday – and handed out free beer to supporters!
Against the wishes of the site owners, they staged a ‘sit-in’ demo outside the Coeval building against it being turned into housing.
They drew pictures of the historic art-deco style building as part of a non-confrontational protest.
Latterly used as offices, the building has been empty for about 18 months and, much to the community’s frustration, has been deteriorating slowly at the hands of the vandals.
Prestoungrange Arts Festival has bid to buy the building from owners Lidl, who have a supermarket next door, to use it as a permanent arts base for the town.
But they fear the site will be sold for housing instead.
The protest was led by today’s head brewer of Fowler’s Ales, Craig Allen, whose father and grandfather both worked for the company. Fowler’s Ales is now brewed at the Gothenburg at the other end of the High Street and free beer was handed out.
Arts Festival co-ordinator Andrew Crummy said: “We wanted to be creative and imaginative rather than confrontational with our protest.
“We have been told by a very good source that the building has already been sold and it will be demolished for housing.
“It is the last surviving building in use from the days of the town’s industrial greatness.
"It should be conserved no matter who wins the bidding process and we ask Lidl to think again.
“They have brought a much-valued retail service to town which many of us greatly appreciate, but if they are selling this building to be demolished, the community will lose out and we will fight the decision all the way.”
A spokesman for Lidl denied the building had been sold – and said they had specifically denied the protesters permission to enter the site, on health and safety grounds.
“The protest appears to be misguided – the building has not been sold,” said the spokesman.
“Until there is a signed contract on the table we cannot confirm anything else.
“Both the ground and the building are unsafe and we informed the Arts Festival that no official access to the grounds of the building would be given, for safety reasons.”
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