Dune Bakery – lease to be discussed
A business in South Queensferry should find out later on Tuesday whether the lease it was negotiating with the council will proceed or not.
The Dune Bakery run by Lewis Gill opened in South Queensferry last year. Dune has been a success and they made an offer to lease council-owned premises on The Loan in August. Their plan was to create a bigger space for their products and some other activities alongside the bakery on the High Street. An offer to pay £27,000 per year in rent for the property was around £3,500 above the asking price.
Mr Gill then negotiated with the council on the other terms of the lease. The council withdrew from negotiations just a few days before the bakery owner believed he would get the keys to start work in the property. The council said they now required the building to use for archives. This means the cash-strapped council would forego the rent offered – which would have totalled around £600,000 over 20 years in addition to any rates payable.
At this point Mr Gill said he had incurred around £20,000 in fees and his contractors were due to be paid £50,000 as the first part of the contract cost.
The emergency motion to be discussed on Tuesday is as follows:
- Council notes:
- 1. That Dune Bakery, as an award winning business, is a successful and welcome addition to Queensferry’s High Street and welcomes their ambition to expand their operations in the town.
- 2. Dune Bakery had expended considerable expense in preparing to take over a lease of a council owned lot, which has sat vacant for over a year, to provide another venue for their operations.
- Council regrets;
- 3. That the lease which had been notionally agreed between the Council and Dune was suddenly refused to them on Friday 24th October, when they had made arrangements to begin remodeling works on Monday 27th October.
- 4. That this left Dune Bakery with considerable expense and has negatively affected the perception of the Council’s attitude towards small businesses in Queensferry resulting in over 200 individual emails to ward councillors.
- Council Agrees
- 5. That a) as this issue arose after the deadline for motions, b) there is no further Council meeting before the next scheduled meeting of the Finance & Resources Committee, this represents an urgent matter, and c) instructs officers to take no further action on the site until the Finance & Resources meeting on the 18th .
- 6. To refer the lease award decision to the meeting of Finance and Resources Committee on Tuesday 18 November, due to the politically contentious nature of and the widespread concern over the decision arrived at by officers under delegated authority.’
Mimi’s to close their Shore bakery
Although they do not give a reason for the closure Mimi’s are closing their café on The Shore where they and other businesses complained about the ongoing roadworks earlier this year.
Michelle of Mimi’s said: “This isn’t a goodbye. We’re focusing on the future of Mimi’s and working out how to create the best possible experience for our team and for the customers who have been with us since the beginning, continuing to bake the cakes that everyone loves.
“Leith will always be part of who we are. Even though we’re stepping back from the café as people know and love it, we’re already imagining what the next chapter in this space could be – something that reflects our love of great food and warm hospitality. Watch this space.”
Festive Open Weekend at Beaverhall Studios
There will be Christmas decorations, jewellery, textiles, upholstery, prints, paintings, cards and the Beaverhall Arts Studios calendar all on sale at the studios’ festive weekend.
The studios will be open on 22 and 23 November from 10am until 5pm.
At Soundhouse
On Friday 28 November 2025 BEE ASHA + CARLA J EASTON will perform as part of the Soundhouse season at Traverse One.
Bee Asha is a genre blending spoken word artist, rapper and singer. Expect raw storytelling, playfulness and a rollercoaster of emotions. Bee Asha has been dubbed one of the most interesting creatives in Scotland by The List UK and was last year shortlisted for BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year as well as having her album Goodbye, Gracious longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year.
Bee Asha has showcased in festivals across the country and internationally over the years and is currently working on her 2nd album.
Warning: this show features explicit language and themes of a sexual nature.
With special guest: Carla J. Easton In Traverse One
Tickets: £17.50/£14 each With options to contribute to the Soundhouse fundraiser by paying more. Doors open: 8pm | Music starts: 8.15pm
Saturday at Screen Porty
Screen Porty Community Cinema is showing Cabaret on Saturday 22 November.
In Berlin in 1931, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) meets British academic Brian Roberts (Michael York), who is finishing his university studies. Despite Brian’s confusion over his sexuality, the pair become lovers, but the arrival of the wealthy and decadent playboy Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem) complicates matters for them both. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
Details about tickets are here. Some are being sold on the door. The film is a 15 certificate. For more details click on the image below.
