Moray Council has announced the appointment of Moray Arts Development Engagement (M:ADE) as its creative partner for the significant redevelopment of the former Gordon Arms Hotel and M&Co premises, located in the heart of Elgin.

This appointment marks a major step towards realising a bold and inclusive cultural vision for the city centre.

Following a competitive selection process, M:ADE was chosen for its deep local roots, commitment to inclusion, and a strong track record in delivering impactful arts programming.

Supported by funding from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund, the historic building is set to undergo significant refurbishment in the near future. M:ADE will take the lead on the redevelopment of the upper floors, with plans to establish a vibrant and accessible creative hub. This space will aim to support artists, deliver diverse cultural programming, and invite the wider community to engage with artistic and creative activities.

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The future of the ground floor is still under development, with intentions to create a flexible, high-quality space suitable for potential retail, hospitality, or cultural uses. Moray Council and M:ADE will continue to explore options collaboratively with local stakeholders to ensure the ground floor offering meets community needs and supports Elgin's broader regeneration goals.

Chair of Moray Council's Economic Development and Infrastructure Services Committee, Cllr Marc Macrae, expressed his enthusiasm: "We're excited to be working with M:ADE on this landmark project. Their collaborative and place-based approach offers the right foundation to create a space that is rooted in community and has the potential to become a cornerstone of Elgin's cultural identity."

M:ADE Creative Director, Stacey Toner, added: "M:ADE is delighted to be involved with the imminent redevelopment of the M&Co and Gordon Arms Hotel space. We believe that Moray will benefit greatly from a creative making and showing space as there is currently nothing of this proposed scale or nature in the region. As a place for people to come together and as a functional facility, we hope it becomes loved and well used by local communities and artists; MADE is keen to chat with anyone who holds an interest in the redevelopment, to ensure our input to the project from this early stage provides a vision that is as true as possible to what people need and want locally."

M:ADE will now begin detailed planning and engagement work to shape the upper-floor creative hub and contribute to the overall future development of the building. Further updates and key project milestones are expected to be shared in due course.