Further delays mean Mareel will not be taking bookings until March next year

anyone surprised?!

Mareel is owned and will be run by Shetland Arts, we are an independent charity. Delays in the opening of Mareel have no financial impact on Council funds. The Council’s contribution to the capital costs (the build) are fixed at a level agreed pre construction and those funds have now almost been spent. Half of the construction cost is coming from sources out with Shetland. No funds can be recovered from stopping the build. If a change of use was considered, an additional £6m would be required to pay off external funders. Further, the Council has committed no funds to the running of the venue and nor do we expect them too.

You have made a number of incorrect assumptions assumptions about Mareel, Ian and I will try to put some of them right.

First, It will be capable of far more than just providing “recording facilities to do CDs,” as you seem to think.. As a centre for creative industries, it will also be involved in music education at further and eventually higher education levels. Recording engineers, technicians, editors and producers will be able to train there.

Not all music events need a venue as large as Clickimin and Mareel will provide a more intimate live music experiences in a performance venue designed for that purpose, which is also acoustically designed to deliver top rate sound quality. It also has a sprung floor, which Shetland dancers will surely appreciate when the take to the floor on dance nights, but for dancers wanting professional dance facilities, there’s also a dance studio with full length mirrors and rail.

Mareel will also provide two cinema screens making a choice of films possible. The Garrison has served reasonably well as a temporary cinema, but it has theatre, not cinema sightlines and they are not the same as cinema sightlines. Films at the Garrison do return a profit for Shetland Arts and professional programming will make sure the cinemas make a return for Mareel, with “first release” runs. However Mareel will also be equipped with state of the art digital cinema projectors which give superb definition on screen and dolby sound, but can also project he latest 3-D films as well as live programming beamed out by satellite from other venues. You may not be a keen cinemagoer yourself Ian, but many of us have been waiting years to see a proper cinema in Shetland and now we are getting one that will provide top quality family entertainment on two Mareel screens.

Mareel has to make a profit Ian, because it has been designed from the start not to require subsidy, which is fortunate, because over the next few years every penny of public finance is going to be tightly squeezed , so one of Mareel’s benefits will be that it will not be making future calls on public funds. The plans for this have been rigorously tested on many occasions. Even tested using worse case scenarios, the plan has stood up well. and proved to be a robust model.

I remember when Clickimin was being planned there were plenty of sceptics who said it was a waste of money, but I have not heard any of them recently – and look how Shetland’s sporting prowess has grown in the intervening years. Try telling any of our young athletes or Island Games team members that it was all a waste of time and money building Clickimin and you would probebly get some interesting replies!

You are entitled to your views of course, Ian, but please do check your facts to make sure they are not incorrect assumptions. I can assure you also that there a great many people who support Mareel and support it strongly who have never waivered in that support. These are the people who will be making sure Mareel is successful and will serve these islands well for many years to come. I am very proud to be one of them.

Yep, Shetland Arts, it’s too late to stop this colossal waste of Shetlanders’ money, it has already gone. That doesn’t make it the right decision, but it’s done now.

What we can hope for – maybe forlornly – is that no more public money is spent on this white elephant. If Shetland Arts come looking for any more money, the SIC must send them packing. If their ‘business plan’ cannot sustain the running of Mareel, it must close.

Have we ever had a firm, binding commitment from Shetland Arts and the SIC that no money will be provided (or accepted) for ongoing running costs, regardless of the excuses given at the time? Will you pledge to allow Mareel to stop operating rather than accept more public money, as that would be a clear indication that your business plan has failed?

Did anyone vote for Shetland’s current Arts Director; the man with an almost unpronouncable name and unfortunate PR record to boot?

Mareel seems to be a disaster of gigantic proportions in the making. Nothing new on Fantasy Island, but very, very sad.

Spending that amount of money for “intimate” gigs is a HUGE waste of money, you are not going to change my mind on that. Also, can people not train to be sound engineers in college anymore, and as for learning music at “Higher” level, This should be something that is provided by the schools, But nooooooo, thats no good enough is it. As for the springy dance floor, you can get a trampoline cheeper at argos so that dusnae ring realistic wi me. someone is wasting money on their fantisies!!!!!
I love the cinema, and go when I can when sooth, But the last cinima here, I beleive was in the old Northstar, and went bust as a result of no one really going.
I have no doubt maureel will be a huge success for the 1st wee while, then it will see support fade, untill this too shuts down, and hey mayby the council will buy it for their new offices.
Schools should provide education, country halls are good enough for “intimate” gigs, and the garrison should have remained a cimima option too.
BUT as Peter Marwick has rightly said….. Shetland Arts, it’s too late to stop this colossal waste of Shetlanders’ money, it has already gone. That doesn’t make it the right decision, but it’s done now.

I saw the building site in June last year, I saw it again in January this year, it didnt look any diffenrt to be honest, it appears its still not water tight, that must be a problem in Shetland?

Planning appears to be a little remiss. I do hope its a success when its finished. I look forward to seeing it in its full glory? – Eventually.

Leslie, I don’t think I’ve judged anything. I merely asked for a pledge from the SIC and Shetland Arts that Mareel would be given, and accept, no more money should their business plan fail.

With such a robust, well-tested business plan you’d think they’d be happy to make that pledge…

Thanks Ted, that’s really cheered me up!
Mareel is getting a bit like the Lerwick Swimming Pool in the 1960’s. But then the council didn’t have millions to throw at it in those days, so the Warry Geo served the purpose!

Mareel appears to have a clear and robust business plan and will provide facilities and resources we don’t already have and certainly to a standard we don’t have – as clearly and ably explained by Leslie Lowes. It has also been explained on this page that SIC funding is accounted for and is only one aspect of the financing of Mareel. That sounds like a well-planned and managed project to me (the delay, which the article makes much of, is a blip which is to be expected in these sorts of projects). Perhaps its critics could turn their attention to other situations where these characteristics are not exhibited? That might be a better use of energy.

Leslie, you wrote “Peter, your judgement is premature. I think we need to give Mareel time to succeed before we decide whether the business plan has failed or not.” I read that as you stating my judgement on the business plan was premature, if I misunderstood I apologise.

Me calling the money already spent on Mareel a colossal waste is, of course, subjective. Regardless of how much money – if any – it needs from the SIC to continue, others will make the subjective analysis that it was not a waste of money. Given that the investment from the SIC is not a loan, why should I not be able to make a judgement on whether my money was well spent?

Regardless of the robustness of the business plan, Shetland will not get that money back. It has gone. I call that a waste, others will think differently. It would be a poorer World if we all agreed on everything.

I remember the SIC saying many times that there was no intention to continue funding Mareel, I sincerely hope that remains the case.

In order for Mareel to make any money, let alone break even, Shetland Arts are going to have an up-hill struggle to fill the place on a regular basis. There are, after all, only 22,000 of us here for them to go at, and out of those there will be a large number who, like myself, aren’t much bothered about “going out”. There will be as many again who, due to family circumstances are unable to find the time to go. Lastly, those who, due to limited and rapidly diminishing “disposable” income, just simply cannot afford either the entrance fee or the £15 or more of fuel just getting to Lerwick. Then there’s the isles folk with even bigger obstacles to overcome. Both logistical AND financial!
I can remember a neighbour remarking to me a few years ago about the cost of a trip into Lerwick, from Brae, ( Him, Wife & 3 kids) to see a film at the Garrison. To add insult to injury, someone reversed into his car and drove off without leaving any details!
There will doubtless be a great number of people who, at the beginning, will go just in order to see where all the money has gone, and after they discover it’s nothing special probably won’t bother again, leading to a rapid downward spiral into insolvency. A workmate of mine once asked me if I would go if there was someone appearing that I really liked. I told him it would take more than the efforts of Shetland Arts to get Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash on the stage again, and about as much chance of making it pay!

Let’s not forget the success or failure of Mareel is not all down to Shetland Arts.

It’s multitude of facilities will be (as I understand it) available for all to hire and use to show/promote/record as their imaginations see fit.

Lifting from a previous comment – if you are a Johnny Cash fan, don’t sit back and wait for Shetland Arts to read your mind, why not look in to putting on a showing of one of his many live shows? Sure, it’s never going to be like the real thing but wouldn’t you enjoy a full concert from the man in black booming through a state of the art sound system with the atmosphere only a group of like minded people can provide?

I would..

Maggie, I will do my best to respond to your questions. Apologies for the brevity but I’m pushed for time. If you, or any one else, wish to discuss matters in more detail, please feel free to contact Shetland Arts at [email protected]

“Families on reduced income?” – there will be a range of price points for events which will reflect supply and demand i.e. lower prices during less busy periods (weekday afternoons, for example) and higher costs during peak times. There will be, as with most Shetland Arts events, a concessionary rate for tickets too. Wherever possible, programming will tie in with public transport.

“What is the worst case scenario?” – the scenario planning is rather complex to boil down into a sentence or two, but basically the worst-case is one where attendances drop to the lowest level of projections. These projections are based on a wide range of local and national statistics and have been widely reviewed.

“What surveys were undertaken to gather information regarding the need for two cinemas to provide top quality family entertainment?” – The inclusion of a second screen was a specific requirement of one of the funders, in order to offer choice to cinema goers and allow for less populist films to be shown concurrently with ‘blockbusters’. The second cinema was designed with several uses in mind, such as the lecture room for the education courses, an editing suite for film production and an area for masterclasses by visiting artists etc.

“my understanding is that this project has run well over budget already.” – there is a rigorous project management process in place maintaining a tight rain on changes and costs. The project is not over budget at this time.

“to an untrained eye it all looks quite a shambles and I find little to raise my hopes that this is running to any schedule.” – as someone who worked in the construction industry on the mainland for several years, I can assure you that Mareel is a well run site.

“a specialist roofing company and a specialist glazing company was required and both have gone into liquidation leaving DITT to pick up the pieces.” – It is standard practice for the main contractors to subcontract to a range of firms on projects of all scales, and delays of this nature are also common with large constructions.

Regarding the design of the building, I’m aware it isn’t to some people’s tastes. However, it is, by its very nature, a complex building designed with functionality in mind.

I hope the above goes some way to address your questions.

We’ll do our best to support Mareel when it opens. I’m sure all involved will work hard to make it a success. Right or wrong it must work ! Lets all stop moaning and move on. Our recent successes in inter-county sports, etc. could be a testament to our brilliant leisure facilities, perhaps in future we might see Mareel in a similar light.

Think about it this way…dream if you like but in, say ten to tweleve years time we could have a brand new, probably the best secondary school in the UK built next to a fantastic leasure centre (how convenient is that?) A first rate cinema & music venue called Mareel and one of Europes, if not the worlds, most efficient wind farm. All backed up by a thriving tourist industry flocking to a recently rejuvinated town centre. Tescos is there on the outskirts of town providing the quality weekly shop at Mainland prices with fuel pumps situated at the old Sound Service Station providing cheap(er) fuel. I believe we would then have a problem with people wanting to move TO Shetland, not move away.