Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘Still hope’ for £8.3 million Lemon Tree refurbishment

The organisation's chief executive Sharon Burgess said the ambitious plan was "pushed back ever so slightly" due to funding concerns.

The Lemon Tree venue in Aberdeen
Redevelopment of the much-loved Lemon Tree is 'still on the table' according to Aberdeen Performing Arts. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Ambitious £8.3 million plans to redevelop the Lemon Tree are “under review” over funding concerns.

The new chief executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts, Sharon Burgess, said she was “still hopeful” the multi-million-pound revamp could go ahead.

She took on the lead role at the council’s arms-length arts body earlier this year, as APA marks its first year unhindered by the Covid pandemic.

A sign outside The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen
Aberdeen Performing Arts is looking to revamp the Lemon Tree. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Since reopening, 713 performances have been held across His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree.

These shows were attended by more than 350,000 audiences and resulted in almost 9.8 million tickets being sold, Ms Burgess told city councillors this week.

APA also successfully hosted five festivals, including the ever-popular Granite Noir and Light the Blue.

Lemon Tree refurbishment ‘not off the table’

At a council meeting on Wednesday, councillor Marie Boulton asked if plans were still moving forward to redevelop the Lemon Tree.

Her question came as the council is looking to carry out its own transformation of nearby Queen Street, which could include a new £61m urban park.

Banners outside the Lemon tree
There is always a variety of performances on offer at the Lemon Tree from music acts to comedy shows. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Ms Boulton hoped the proposal hadn’t “gone to the wayside” and praised the West North Street venue for its part in the rise of up-and-coming talent.

It has been an early tour stop for the likes of Emeli Sande, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol and Radiohead.

However, Ms Burgess was quick to reassure that APA was “still hopeful” to carry out the revamp despite some financial worries.

Aberdeen Performing Arts chief executive Sharon Burgess
Aberdeen Performing Arts chief executive Sharon Burgess. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

She said: “As a building it is very important because of its scale and how we use the space.

“The ambitions to develop it are still very much at the forefront of our mind.

“However due to the uncertainty around funding, this has been pushed back ever so slightly.

“But it’s not off the table, it’s just under review.”

Will Creative Scotland cuts impact APA?

On that financial uncertainty, councillor Lynn Thomson asked if APA would face any financial trouble following the Scottish Government’s decision to impose a £6.6m cut on arts body Creative Scotland.

Ms Burgess said there wouldn’t be an “immediate impact” but the whole sector is aware it could feel a hit in time.

Creative Scotland will be relying on reserves through the National Lottery Fund until 2025 to help make up for the funding shortfall.

Meanwhile, Aberdeen councillors could yet decide to strip back funding for APA – as they look to slash £83m from public spending over the next four years.

What would Lemon Tree redevelopment look like?

The redevelopment plans for the Lemon Tree were first revealed by The P&J in October 2021.

Performance space could be improved and expanded, with a new area for rehearsals too.

what the lemon tree refurbishment could look like
An artist impression of the Lemon Tree revamp. Image: Aberdeen Performing ArtsAn extension would be constructed with a new studio space, foyer and cafe.

Upgrade work would be carried out in the venue’s existing lounge and studio spaces.

A garden area has also been included in the plans to allow outdoor performances to be held.

APA board members gave the plans the go-ahead last summer.

Conversation