A Manifesto for Portobello Promenade

[joppacat]

People of Edinburgh – Take to the Beach
- A Manifesto for Portobello Promenade

Big Things on the Beach calls on Edinburgh’s next City Council to value and invest in its City Promenade and Beach at Portobello

We want you to make sure that the Councilors we elect on May 3rd make a real difference to Edinburgh and deliver what the people have said they want, a City Promenade worthy of Scotland’s capital in the 21st century.

We believe that Portobello Promenade should be the pride of Edinburgh:

• a unique and creative place where artists and public meet
• a vibrant place that attracts cultural activities
• a place of recreation for the mind, body and spirit.
• a ‘must see’ attraction for locals and visitors
• a democratic public space, shared and enjoyed by people of all ages, races, abilities, classes and cultures.

We call on the incoming Council:

• To implement the planned programme for the Edinburgh Waterfront Promenade in Portobello
• To apply the terms of the 2008 Waterfront Promenade Design Code to all improvements or developments on Portobello Promenade.
• To implement the recommendations of the Public Art Strategy for Portobello Promenade developed jointly by the Council’s Development Department and the local community in 2010.
• To participate in a Portobello Promenade Development Group
• To promote Portobello Promenade and Beach as a major local asset and international visitor attraction and to support associated cultural and economic development initiatives.

You can support our call
• By challenging candidates across Edinburgh to commit to the development of Portobello Promenade
• By writing to your Councilors, MSPs and MPs.
By signing our petition - you can do this in Portobello library or online at http://www.petition.co.uk/make-portobel ... edinburgh/

• By registering your support on our website http://www.bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk and on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/bigthingsonthebeach
and by following our campaign on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/BTOTB



Why We Want You to Act

Big Things on the Beach is a community led public arts trust that promotes Portobello Promenade as a site for the creation and display of public art.

Since 2007 we have brought artists from Scotland, the UK and Italy to the Promenade to create innovative and challenging artworks. These have attracted significant numbers of visitors and media attention and have been enjoyed by Edinburgh residents from across the city. We gathered your views and support at the Public Art House in 2009 and at last year’s Cultural Olympiad ‘Big Welcome’ we demonstrated the potential of the Promenade as a vibrant public space in Edinburgh. Now we need your active support to turn our vision into reality.

Waterfront Vision
In 2008 the City Council announced the creation of an ‘Edinburgh Promenade’ from Granton to Joppa, to signal the city’s desire to become a world class Waterfront City, incorporating Portobello Promenade. An associated ‘Design Guide’ set out high standards for improvements or developments along the 17 kilometre route. This identified public art as an essential element in the creation of distinctive places along the waterfront. The Council’s plan includes the creation of a ‘Portobello Piazza’ by 2013.

Public Art Plan for Portobello
In 2010 Big Things on the Beach worked with the City Council’s Development department to produce a Public Art Strategy for Portobello Promenade. This project, which included substantial public consultation and professional input, proposed that the Promenade should be developed as a world class artwork, within which people can enjoy all the amenities they expect of a City Beach. Building on Portobello’s history and the vibrancy of its community today, this proposal aims to project an inspiring image of Edinburgh and Portobello to the wider world.

Don’t let the vision die!
Big Things on the Beach’s vision for Portobello Promenade could attract significant investment from cultural, economic and tourist development organisations and charitable trusts in the UK and Europe. However, these all require the active commitment and participation of Edinburgh City Council. We want the Council to respond positively to this community led initiative and to work with us to develop our proposals into a major development project that will benefit all of Edinburgh as well as Portobello.

You can help to make this happen by supporting our vision and by raising the future of Portobello Promenade as an issue for all candidates in the coming City Council election.

Big Things on the Beach
Tel: 0131 657 9193
http://www.bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk