Dunbar has a unique character. Its coastline, with harbours new and old, cliffs, rockpools, sands and reefs, make it a special place.
The town’s economy is arguably fragile, with no significant single employer. Once a thriving fishing and tourist centre, it has a small fleet of less than 30 boats and no distinguishable tourist draw. Indeed, the rather tired face of many parts of the old town is a tourist negative.
Significant recent enhancements to the old town include the development of both the Town House Museum and the John Muir Birthplace museum, both of which offer an educational and resource base for locals and visitors alike.
There still seems real scope to build on this educational platform and to use the natural environment as a key to this.
The Vision
The vision is to create a small centre on a site close to the sea which celebrates and explains the flora, fauna and coastal history of Dunbar.
Rather than design a building that is solely dedicated to static displays, the concept for Dunbar’s Coastlife Centre is to use a 12.5m diameter, 360deg cinema in a purpose built auditorium. Using a suite of projectors, films covering any aspect of natural life can be projected onto a surround screen. Whilst films already exist which show underwater life, the vision here is that the Centre would generate, commission and show films made here in Scotland, that explain our coastal environment.
The digital technology means that the key messages can change with every film and several different films could be shown during any one day. The Coastlife Centre could carry video links from the Bass Rock and the kittiwake colony at Dunbar’s Harbour and there would be opportunities to link with the Seabird Centre in North Berwick and with aquahive farming initiatives in Dunbar.
As an added bonus, the open space of the auditorium could be used as a function and/or meeting space and, potentially, as a cinema for movie lovers in the evenings. The technology exists to re-configure conventional film formats to enable them to be shown in the round and a 12.5m auditorium could accommodate in excess of 200 people, seated.
The Site and Building
The site that we have identified as offering the best potential for this project, is the old Amusement Arcade site at Lamer Street on the East Beach. This site is privately owned and is currently the subject of a planning application for seven houses.
The Dunbar Shore and Harbour Neighbourhood Group believes that this site is critically important to the economic vibrancy of the town. It is clearly visible from the High Street, has a key frontage onto the John Muir Way and onto what we hope will become an award winning beach. The Neighbourhood Group feels that it would be an unfortunate lost opportunity if this site were to be committed to more housing.