A POPULAR gallery which shut its doors last summer could be set to reopen “in the near future”, with a local artists’ group interested in moving there.

The Peter Potter Gallery, a registered charity, had been based at The Sands, Haddington, for four decades before shutting its doors last year following a difficult trading period.

The lease then ended at the end of August last year, with the building sitting empty since then.

East Lothian Council, which owns the building, is marketing the former gallery/cafe to any interested groups, with rental offers over £9,000 per year invited before noon on February 3.

A spokeswoman for the local authority said: “The premises are in a part of Haddington which links to the riverside walk and is popular with both local residents and visitors to the town.

“We are encouraged by the level of interest shown so far and look forward to welcoming new tenants in the near future.”

The future of the gallery, which was based over two floors and included a cafe, was discussed at Haddington and District Community Council’s meeting, which was attended by local social enterprise group MADE (Makers Artists Designers Enterprise) in East Lothian, last Tuesday evening.

MADE is currently based on the town’s Hardgate but there are plans for the building it uses there, which previously was home to a flooring shop, to be demolished.

Carol Duff, from the group, told the meeting the group was considering moving to the Peter Potter Gallery.

She said: “Peter Potter Gallery was there for over 40 years and is associated with arts and crafts.

“We would be carrying on the tradition and run it as a gallery and workshop and have somebody run the cafe upstairs.”

She stressed the location was not perfect in the sense it was a little bit out of the town centre and the building did not have a lift.

However, she agreed an art gallery and working space for artists was something Haddington needed.

She added: “If you compare Haddington to the likes of North Berwick and Dunbar, they have got so many art galleries you are falling over them and Haddington should have that.”

One of the issues highlighted by East Lothian Council is the building’s closeness to the River Tyne.

The documents read: “The river is prone to flooding in times of heavy rain and 10 The Sands has flooded in the past. It is highly likely that this could happen again in the future, especially given the high water table in the immediate vicinity.”

When the gallery shut, a spokeswoman for the group told the Courier that, as is the experience of many third-sector organisations in the current economic climate, the gallery had been “struggling to stay afloat financially for some time”.