Friday June 5th 2026
Calderglen Early Learning and Childcare centre
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
A petition has been filed in a bid to save an Edinburgh nursery that is being eyed for demolition.
Councillors at Tuesday’s education committee meeting will consider the petition, calling on them to repair Calderglen Early Years Centre, instead of allowing exploration of demolition works to go ahead.
The nursery was closed on March 2 after concerns were raised about whether building occupants were safe in the long term due to the condition of the roof.
The petition also calls for the Gate 55 community centre, which is owned by the council and managed by a local trustee group, to be spared demolition.
However, it is unclear to the Local Democracy Reporting Service whether any proposal to demolish the Gate 55 centre has been publicly announced.
Organisers stated in the petition that both facilities had brought a ‘lot of joy and resources’ to the Sighthill community over the years.
They continued to write: “To see these buildings be destroyed would be devastating for the community.
“There was no official proposal or consultation to close Calderglen and we are petitioning to have it sufficiently repaired rather than demolished.
“The services are already drastically lacking and removing a nursery and a community centre is putting more strain on surrounding nurseries and community centres.”
They added that if repair of Calderglen is not possible, a move of the nursery to the Gate 55 centre should be considered in the interim while a ‘long term plan’ is identified.
In addition, they stated that the outdoor areas at the nursery were a major draw for families in the area.
Parents were given little notice of the nursery, which was built in 1972 and hosted 64 students, closing.
In an email, they were informed that the facility would close ‘permanently’ – but a report before councillors at the same meeting said this was intended to be read as a closure for the rest of the season.
Despite this, that report said it would be ‘prudent’ to consider ‘other options for Early Years’ investment in the area’.
The closure came out of concern for the safety of building occupants, coming after a significant leak and a small ceiling collapse in early February.
The report described how officers had come to consider demolition for the site, as the scale of damage to the roof from water damage over time had become clear.
It added that the cost of replacing the roof would cost £352,000 and take up to 20 weeks, though a deeper survey would be needed to find the final price for the works.
In addition, it said a business case for ‘the best value option’ to meet future Early Years’ demand in the area would come to a September education committee meeting.
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