Creative Scotland open to new tenant for CCA as campaign groups warn over sale

A spokesperson for the arts organisation, which owns the building and charged the CCA a peppercorn rent of £1 a year, said it would “particularly welcome” interest from cultural organisations looking to lease or buy the venue.

This comes as campaign group Save Our CCA warned the “unique” building should remain in public hands, saying arts organisations would not be able to bid competitively for a lease if it became privately owned.

The CCA fell into the hands of liquidators in February, with the building immediately shut down and all staff laid off.

Speaking to MSPs at Holyrood's culture committee days after the collapse, Creative Scotland's chief executive Iain Munro said the organisation was committed to enabling the "re-emergence" of an arts centre on the site.

However, in a written response to a Holyrood question by MSP Paul Sweeney about the future of the centre last week, culture secretary Mairi McAllan said Creative Scotland had “the intention to sell the building as a cultural asset”.

A Creative Scotland spokesperson told The Scotsman: “We’ll shortly begin a formal process inviting expressions of interest for the lease or purchase of the former CCA building at 350 Sauchiehall Street.

“Expressions of interest from cultural organisations or organisations intending to operate the venue for cultural use will be particularly welcome.”

They added: “The insolvency process for CCA remains ongoing, and the building is being kept safe and secure during its temporary closure.”

Save Our CCA said the CCA was “unique as an institution of its size” for its commitment to “grassroots arts and egalitarian principles”.

It added: “The success of the CCA can be directly linked to Glasgow's rise as a contemporary art powerhouse. The venue is important not only in artistic terms, but also by its knock-on impact on surrounding businesses and the wider community.

“Local activists believe there are many issues around the closure of the venue. Including a promise by John Swinney that the Scottish Government would look for new cultural operators and intended the building to reopen swiftly. Now, instead, Creative Scotland is selling it as a ‘cultural asset’, with no guarantee that the building will continue to be used for cultural purposes.”

It emerged after its collapse that the CCA had asked Creative Scotland for £4.5m in multi-year funding, to be allocated over a three year period, claiming its funding had been ”at a standstill” in recent years.

However, it was granted £3.4m in a funding round in January 2025, which saw 250 Scottish arts organisations allocated multi-year grants by the government-funded arts body.

However, accounts published to Companies House in April last year for the 12 months to March 2024 show that the board of the CCA had increased financial scrutiny of the organisation as it reported “a controlled loss” and admitted it had had to dip into its reserves in order to survive.

Yesterday, ScotsRock, a new organisation formed to create a rock and roll hall of fame in Scotland, put forward proposals to site the venue in the CCA building. Meanwhile, last week, a group of theatre companies launched a bid to open “a powerhouse creation centre and performance venue for new theatre, dance and the live arts in Scotland”.