Community owned social space for Portobello?

[Tommy Black]

[wangi]

[BeachBum]

[Porty]

[Porty]

[wangi]

[wangi]

[Porty]

Where was the £10K secured from? I think what's needed here is an audit on whoever is handing out this feasibility money to groups like PEDAL. To me its seems bonkers, I'm talking stark raving. (Is this the same stable that brought us the Re-apier white elephant?)

We already have a number of open spaces that are owned by the community. The library and community centre to name two. Why can't PEDAL meet there or in one of the church halls or at the sailing club, I'm sure they would welcome the business. This would save energy and the cost of opening a new place.

PEDAL (POrtobello Energy Decent and Land Reform group)

That doesn't make sense to me and as for the objectives:


is a Portobello-based voluntary association of local residents, formed in 2005. We believe that Portobello can and should re-localise. This means providing more of the everyday services and products we use locally. For example: growing more of our food; generating our own energy; creating a wider range of jobs close to home; finding ways to get to 'zero waste'; providing more leisure opportunities here in Portobello

So how is a bookshop or cafe going to help achieve those objectives? What does re-localise mean? I'm with Wangi, what has an urban buyout got to do with all of this?

[Grunk]

You know to help Portobello's economy, they should really push for better transport links. either a tram spur or reopening of the train station or both(the hovercraft would have been good too). This would encourage more people out of their cars.

If they couple this with encouraging shopkeepers to adopt a more continental approach to opening (i.e. open their shops a little later so people can actually get to them), local businesses would thrive.

People in cars go to supermarkets, people out of cars go to local shops(if they're open).

I also think an algae farm off Seafield would produce enough bio-matter for carbon neutral energy for all of Portobello.

There are already plenty of pubs/cafe's for people to meet in, I'm not sure what buying another space would bring to the table.

Anyway, it's probably more efficient to discuss ideas on a forum, which people can access remotely, technology is great.

[seashell]

[Porty]

Seashell, I agree. Hopefully the KRR improvements will aid traffic flow and we need better policing of the parked vans and other vehicles. A bookshop would be very welcome but I can't see any benefit of marrying that type of venture with a group like PEDAL- I mean why make your target market a few dozen people?

Dispense with the urban buyout pish. The hard yards are the income to meet the expenses once the venturte is up and running. Rather than use one's capital to buy something just rent until you see how it goes.Portobello hasn't got the space for something like this.

[Grunk]

Even on a good day 45mins - 1hour to go 4 miles into the city centre is NOT a good transport link, should be 20 minutes tops.

I really doubt KRR "improvements" will help public transport.
there may be some priority signaling for buses, but it's pretty pointless if the buses are stuck in the traffic that is being held up by the priority signaling, because there is not a dedicated bus lane all the way through portobello.

Although the road is wide enough for two lanes (one bus and one normal) to the junction with on lane back, but it is unlikely that this will have been thought of.

I like wide pavements though, pedestrians should be allowed some space after all.

Anyway this post should really be in the KRR thread.

back onto this topic, I really can't see what PEDAL hopes to achieve here except to spend its money, perhaps it needs to do that to ensure a grant next year?

[seashell]

Very true.
Local libraries, community centres &c are all great resources - with insurance in place, health and safety considerations taken into effect etc. I'm a member of a (non-Porty) quilting Group that meets in a council-run playgroup building, with a lovely janitor who even makes coffee and tea for us!
One of the things I really like about the portobello website is the space given to local groups - there are so many people out there willling to help others develop new skills.

[Porty]

All 3 of us must have posted within a 2 second window.!!

A few years ago PEDAL made a bid for £25k to fund feasibility for a new pier. Last year we had the prospect of them or some similar group taking over what is now Espy and turning it into a Pub/Art School/Studio type facility. Now they have £10k for a non-specific plan. This is definitely a money thing.

I've no doubt that these people are well intentioned but to me they are country or village folks whose commercial nouse is poor. We live in a city, Portobello has a bit of acommunity feel, it has a bit of community spirit but it is not a community in the way that a village is. It never could be.

Maybe they should de-localise to somewhere their ideas would have a better chance of fruition. Or channel their efforts through traditional, democratic bodies, like PCC or the council itself. The problem is they really don't like the council.

[wangi]

[Porty]

[Grunk]

[Porty]

[seanie]

[Porty]

[Epykat]

I might have got totally the wrong end of the stick, or maybe I'm missing something so forgive me if that's the case, but it appears to me that PEDAL, rather than working WITH the Community and making use of the Community Centre, which can only be good from their point of view and give them more clout as regards being rebuilt, they seem to be working AGAINST the Community and branching off on their own in direct opposition. The 'Village Show' title got up my nose too. We're NOT a village so why didn't they call it something like a 'Community Day' or 'Seaside TOWN' show?

[Bob Jefferson]

Incomers.

[BeachBum]

[Porty]

[BeachBum]

[BeachBum]

[Bob Jefferson]

I would like to congratulate Tommy on airing this matter on the local community discussion forum, when so many people who claim to represent the community would prefer to pretend that it doesn't exist.

Let's hope he has a sense of humour and can take the odd jibe or his post count may not reach double figures.

[BeachBum]

[Porty]

[Epykat]

[Sandra]

[StarVanMan]

[Maria]

As someone who, albeit usually only once a year, needs use of a room for a combined AGM and social, there's not a lot of accommodation in Portobello, which ticks all the boxes. The upstairs room in the library means an early start to a meeting and everyone out by 8, while church halls and the community centre both lack the comfort and ambiance you'd ideally like. Those of us who shivered in the cold at the launch of Portybelly Telly will know what I mean!

Then there's the possibility of a more suitable venue for CC meetings. It has been mentioned that holding it in a church hall may deter some locals from attending and, while it is fortunate to be able to regularly hold it in the same venue, no one could claim that the Baptist Church Hall offers much comfort.

Church halls and the community centre are great for concerts, craft fairs and sports, but a more intimate space, with warm comfortable surroundings and flexible opening times would be good too.

[Porty]

[BeachBum]