News / Mareel dispute “almost” settled as cinema sells out
SHETLAND Arts will not be contesting a substantial financial claim being made by the builders of the new cinema and music venue Mareel, the arts agency confirmed on Wednesday.
The news comes as public enthusiasm for the building exceeds expectations, with the main complaint being that people being unable to purchase tickets for film screenings that have already sold out.
Shetland Arts is now preparing a two month programme of events to mark the formal opening of the venue, including a ribbon cutting ceremony in November.
Last Friday Lerwick building firm DITT lodged a claim in Edinburgh’s Court of Session for more than £200,000 they said they were owed, which Shetland Arts had been withholding.
The dispute centred around extra costs caused by the lengthy delay in completing the building, which opened last month two and a half years behind schedule.
Sources close to the dispute said that Shetland Arts had already accepted an independent adjudicator’s opinion that the sum should be paid, but DITT went to court to protect their interests.
DITT director Peter Tait said the company was still waiting to hear from its lawyers that Shetland Arts had agreed to pay the money.
Meanwhile the two sides are providing information to the project’s contract administrator Ian Irvine, of Peter Johnson Partnership, to determine who is responsible for the delays.
The final cost of the building has yet to be fully determined, though the hold ups will inevitably push it over its original budget.
Shetland Arts received public funding of £12.1 million to complete the project by spring 2010, of which £10.2 million was earmarked for its construction by DITT.
It may take several months for the final figure to be resolved along with who is responsible for the extra costs incurred, after which there remains the possibility that the two sides will find themselves on opposite sides of a court room.
Meanwhile Shetland Arts director Gwilym Gibbons said the building had been welcomed enthusiastically by the people of Shetland.
“The general response has been overwhelmingly positive and one of our big challenges at the moment is people’s disappointment that events have already been sold out,” he said.
The cinema had been crowded for many of the Screenplay film festival showings and tickets are selling “really, really well” for the big commercial movies scheduled to begin on 10 September.
Gibbons said that they were holding a two month opening season between October and December, because it would be impossible to demonstrate what the building could do over a single weekend.
Tickets for events during that period are expected to go on sale as early as next week.
Screenplay and the book festival Wordplay continue until Sunday with a full programme of events available at www.mareel.org
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