Green light for £1.5 million Shopping Centre transformation
Muirhouse Shopping Centre is to be transformed through a £1.52 million Regeneration Grant, it’s been announced. The cash will see sections of the run-down centre demolished and replaced to give the area a new ‘civic heart’ (writes Dave Pickering). Continue reading A new heart for Pennywell
Before the paint has even dried, The Botanic Cottage is in the running for a national award …
The Botanic Cottage at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has been nominated for Best Georgian Garden/Landscape at The Georgian Society’s prestigious annual Architectural Awards – before it has even opened its doors! Continue reading Reconstructed Botanic Cottage up for national award
Lord Provost to open Made in Granton exhibition
![madelvic_office[1]](https://i0.wp.com/nen.press/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/madelvic_office1.jpg?ssl=1)
Council-owned property development and investment business The EDI Group (www.edigroup.co.uk) is to support support a new programme of arts initiatives based at Madelvic House in Granton (above).
The series of events organised by granton:hub@The Madelvic will officially launch this Saturday with the ‘Made in Granton’ exhibition, showcasing the history of the local area. Forth Neighbourhood Partnership is also supporting the exhibition.
Madelvic House will host a series of pop up events over the next six months organised by the granton:hub group. The focus of the initiative is to test out ideas in the community with the view to securing long term use of the building for a community arts hub.
If successful in receiving approval from EDI, the group propose to use the ground floor of the building to house a number of artists’ studios, café and a flexible space which will be used for events such as temporary exhibitions and workshops.
The programme launch and local history exhibition ‘Made in Granton’ is open to all and will take place on:
Saturday 24 October
11:00am to 2:30pm
at Madelvic House
More events to look forward to at Madelvic House include:
Denise Havard, Community Development Manager at EDI, said “We are pleased to support the granton:hub and its programme of arts initiatives and we look forward to receiving their business plan outlining their proposals for future use of the building. Ensuring that community initiatives are supported in the area where EDI are working is key for our wider regeneration plans.”
Demand for a community art space in Granton was identified at an open day in May where local residents put forward their ideas for using Madelvic House. The granton:hub is a group of largely local residents of Granton and surrounding areas with a vision to create a community-led initiative using space at Madelvic House.
Louise Knight, spokesperson for the granton:hub, said: “We are very grateful for EDI’s support with our programme of events at Madelvic House. We’re really pleased that EDI shares our vision for community initiatives which bring people together and offering locally based activities.”
Madelvic House is located on Granton Park Avenue in Granton and was originally built as the offices of the Madelvic Carriage Company. The Madelvic Carriage Company Limited was formed in Edinburgh in 1898 producing electric vehicles and built the first purpose built car factory in Britain. The red sandstone, two storey building is currently owned by Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd and managed as a multi-let office space.
EDI is working with adjoining landowners to deliver a number of major developents as part of its regeneration of Granton, including a new Collections Facility for National Galleries, retail and leisure opportunities along with residential.
If you’d like to get involved with the granton:hub group, or you’d like to find out more, contact Louise Knight: louiseesknight@gmail.com
New £6 million HQ in Fountainbridge will ‘place creativity at the heart of the community’
The former headquarters of the North British Rubber Company – birthplace of the Wellington boot, the modern motor car tyre and the first ever traffic cone – is to be saved from demolition and transformed into a world-class visual arts centre and creative hub thanks to Lottery funding of over £6million.
Creative Scotland has confirmed £1,728,075 funding and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is investing £4,994,000 towards Edinburgh Printmakers and the transformation of the historic former North British Rubber Factory HQ into a new centre for printmaking and creative industries.
The HLF grant is inclusive of a first stage award of £500,000 already received by the visual arts charity to develop the project and engage the community with the vast local heritage through creative activities.
The funding from Creative Scotland is in addition to an initial stage one capital funding award committed in 2012 of £60,000 to enable Edinburgh Printmakers to develop their proposal. The funding from Creative Scotland will support artistic excellence and engage audiences in diverse and inclusive exhibitions and education.
The project proposed by Edinburgh Printmakers will save a 19th century category C-listed building of significant architectural and historical value in Fountainbridge from decay and eventual demolition.
Once part of a vast industrial complex manufacturing goods such as rubber boots, hot water bottles and the car tyre, the Castle Mill Works building is now the only remaining physical reminder of what was once a world-renowned rubber factory that, for many years, was at the forefront of innovation and integral to the expansion of the city.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs said: “Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland to preserve the building, and Creative Scotland’s investment in setting up the new arts centre, Castle Mill Works will be an exciting addition to Scotland and Edinburgh’s cultural scene.
“The money raised through lottery contributions will be used to get this important project off the ground. Edinburgh Printmakers will transform this historic building and in its new form it will deliver a new home for Scottish printmakers and help shape the future of our country, as well as preserve its past.”
Iain Munro, Deputy Chief Executive, Creative Scotland, said: “Creative Scotland is delighted to be supporting the creation of a world class centre for printmaking for Edinburgh Printmakers, an organisation of considerable experience and repute. Edinburgh Printmakers plays an important role in the infrastructure for contemporary art in Scotland.
“This new facility will enable the organisation to build on this reputation by creating a state of the art, fit for purpose building which will be a more visible, accessible, facility appropriate to their needs and aspirations for the 21st century.
“The relocation of the Printmakers to Fountainbridge will unlock many opportunities for the organisation to engage with new and different communities and to partner with a range of schools and community groups.”
In August, Historic Scotland (Now Historic Environment Scotland) announced that they would be awarding £500k of grant funding to the project to restore this important part of Edinburgh’s built heritage.
Commenting from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dame Seona Reid, Deputy Chair of HLF and Chair of Committee for Scotland, said: “We are delighted that thanks to players of the National Lottery, we are able to unlock the potential of this much-loved building. Not only will it provide a thriving cultural centre, benefitting many hundreds of national and international artists, but it will breathe life back into Foutainbridge. The community is justly proud of its industrial heritage so it is fitting that Castle Mill Works, which once supported so many families, will be the catalyst in its regeneration.”
The ambition to save Castle Mill Works stemmed from Edinburgh Printmakers’ search for the ideal home in which to build a contemporary arts centre specialising in Printmaking and Creative Industries, offering a year-round public programme of exhibitions, events and learning.
Opening to the public in 2018, Edinburgh Printmakers’ new home will be an international centre for printmaking with a state-of-the-art open access workshop, galleries, education spaces, a deli/wine bar with terrace, art retail area and production spaces for a wide range of creative industries. The total cost for the project will be £10 million.
Edinburgh Printmakers will continue to present a public programme of exhibitions, events and activities at its Union Street premises until summer 2018.
Chair of Edinburgh Printmakers, Alastair Snow, said: “We are delighted to have support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Creative Scotland for this project. These awards will allow us to bring Castle Mill Works back from the very dilapidated state it has fallen into and transform it into a vibrant cultural resource.
“Castle Mill Works was once a powerhouse of industry and invention, our plan will bring production back to Fountainbridge and place creativity at the heart of the community. This neglected area will become a vibrant place to work or visit, foster a sense of community, and offer opportunities for everyone to engage with creativity.
“These awards provide a substantial amount of the funds required to realise the project and are a real vote of confidence for Edinburgh Printmakers as a leading arts organisation. But, just over £2M still needs to be raised. As well as applying to trusts and foundations, we are asking the public to join us on this new and exciting journey and help us reach a target of £10m.”
Sarah Price, CEO of Edinburgh Printmakers added: “The vision for Edinburgh Printmakers as a cultural provider has evolved hugely as a result of this project and in response to the heritage of the building. We can’t wait to get going on delivering artistic exhibitions and activities that will benefit local people and bring visitors to the area. Art has the power to transform lives and places and that is our aim, we have spent many years planning and now with these decisions we can start to make those dreams a reality.”
In the lead up to the opening of the arts centre, Edinburgh Printmakers will showcase a series of temporary artwork commissions at Castle Mill Works that respond to the unique heritage of the grand industrial building and its rich cultural environs.
The heritage of the building will also be a permanent feature within the complete arts centre as the legacy of the building is explored through newly commissioned artwork installations, each uncovering the past and creating a conversation between new and old that can continue into the future.
The project has already attracted widespread support and endorsement with local community groups keen to save the building for future use as a cultural venue.
The announcement of this award coincided with the launch of Edinburgh Printmakers public appeal for donations. The public can help Edinburgh Printmakers reach the £10m target by texting CMWS001 to 70970 to give £5, or by visiting www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk to donate any amount.
A Way Forward for Community Regeneration?
A local project which hopes to oversee the regeneration of Granton’s waterfront is asking the local community to support a bid for Lottery funding.
Granton Improvement Society says, if successful, a lottery grant would be used to stage art work for a garden festival, employ a member of staff and take regeneration plans on to the next stage.
Granton Improvement Society administrator Ross McEwan explained: “GIS was invited to make an application to the BIG Lottery Peoples Project for an award of £50,000. The process involves joining the community blog that they had set up – we had to write a 500 word submission on the blog page together with three images.
“The shortlisting process will take into consideration comments made on the blog, so we are asking members to please make comments in as positive a way as possible, especially about what huge benefits would come to the community from the income generated and from the major new facilities in the area.”
In ‘Granton on Sea – A Way Forward for Community Regeneration’, their submission to the webpage, GIS say:
‘We held several public events with guest speakers, this has increased the membership from local people considerably and means the GIS is now the largest membership organisation in the area.
‘A new exhibition of the current project proposals and promotional material have proved to be a great success especially when attending events and for getting the project more visible in the local community and with City Councillors.
All of these new initiatives have helped in being commissioned by Scottish Government Regeneration Unit and DTAS/COSS to undertake an Asset Mapping exercise over the whole area we have chosen to work within.
The project will allow us to find out what the physical and social assets are of the area. As part of this we will identify the wider community need and aspirations, this information will lead to a community plan and strengthen the communities
Since the Granton Improvement Society was established in January 2013 the membership from local residents has gradually risen to just under 200, The management committee of 11 trustees is comprised of seven local residents and four who are just on the boundary of the EH4 & EH5 area that we have chosen to operate within.
If we were successful the new money would take the project to a stage where we would do small art interventions related to the garden festival in underused derelict green space, the focus of which is creative design, all will be for the community to undertake. We will show the health and wellbeing benefits of the outdoors and creative process.
As part of the new exhibition we have taken the design proposals to another more detailed stage in preparation for a future planning application in doing so it has brought the landowner to the table to negotiate the sale of the land.
New money would allow us to commission architects and energy consultants to explore the sustainability and environmental impact of the project. A model of the project will be commissioned something which is more accessible than architectural drawings. A more detailed financial impact study should prove the community benefit of the project locally and nationally.
A Social Hub: reaching out to a wider community base.
Sea containers will be bought and converted using local people gaining construction skills, this would be the studio space for the GIS, the local community could come and interact with the project and talk about needs and aspirations. This will inform the project.
It will allow us for the first time to employ a dedicated project worker and not rely upon volunteers all of the time, local people will gain skills, training and education.
More community events would be organised, creating greater community involvement and a more cohesive and resilient community.
All of these bigger initiatives will create a sense of community ownership, pride and care for the future when the project is realised. It will be owned by the community through large community consultation and participation.’
To make a comment on the Granton submission, go to
Ross added: “Go to top right of page ‘Not a member yet?’ and join. Just follow the instructions. After registering you are directed to a Welcome page. Go to the heading The Peoples’s Projects. On this page go to Search Blogs by ITV region – we are in STV East.
“Our blog is the fifth one in the list. Open the blog and and join the group at top right of the page then you should be able to begin commenting at the end of the blog in the comments box. We want as many of you as possible to do this!”
The £1.7m Town Centre Communities Capital Fund is available to support enterprising, community-led projects which help to deliver town centre regeneration priorities in a local area.
Community organisations are invited to bid for pots of between £20k and £150k capital funding to support projects which are in line with the key themes set out in Scotland’s Town Centre Action Plan. The Scottish Government is keen to see communities step forward with their ideas.
Launching the fund last month, Social Justice Secretary Alex Neal said: “Scotland’s town centres need to be fit for the 21st century, offering a diverse range of businesses, services and activities that meet local demand.
“There are already a few examples of communities getting involved in their town centres, introducing innovation and helping to reclaim them as vibrant social spaces.
“The Scottish Government recognises that people across Scotland are interested in the future of their town centres. This £1.7 million through the Town Centre Communities Capital Fund is intended to support enterprising communities with project proposals that complement our Town Centre Action Plan.
“By enabling and supporting enterprising community organisations to take action, we can help make town centres attractive and accessible places that are the thriving civic spaces we know they can be.”
Deadline for applications is September 29 2015.
‘Save our Secret Garden’ community campaign reaches climax on July 29th!
You may have heard of Granton Castle Walled Garden, but still not know where it is: that it is kept locked up and no-one can enter, or that it is still at risk from a luxury housing development (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!
At the end of this month the Friends Group campaign to safeguard and restore the walled garden will reach a crucial point.
On 29 July the council planners will make a final decision on the 2004 Waterfront Edinburgh Limited application; ‘minded to grant’ for demolition of parts of the walled garden to make way for 17 townhouses.
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden hope they decide to refuse the 2004 application, instead allowing a chance of the listed garden’s restoration for community use.
Hundreds of local people have made their views known through petitions, representations and deputations to the city council, community councils and other organisations over the last year.
Historic Scotland visited the walled garden this spring and after reviewing the research compiled, concluded that it merits B-listing. Much older than previously thought, infact the oldest undeveloped walled garden in Edinburgh!
So what will happen if the council decide in favour of the historic garden being protected and restored at the end of this month?
Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill news is good for community groups like ours, interested in taking on the responsibility for a bit of our historic environment on the waterfront.
– Community Shares? – One idea to let local people own a bit of the walled garden and take part in planning and decisions on its future.
One share = one vote
Would you want to help save the garden if we could buy it?
Buy a share in the garden at £10 per share?
Get in touch or come along to a Friends Group Meeting if you want to hear more, ask questions or get involved.
grantoncastlegardengroup@gmail.com
Next meeting on ‘Ideas for the Garden’ in mid-August, date tbc.
Friends of Granton Castle Garden | ‘Forgotten’ Walled Garden
Please give us half an hour of your time!
The Trustees are organising an event to highlight our wish to acquire the land and Granton’s Walled Garden under new powers from the Community Empowerment Bill.
WILD FLOWER PLANTING
Thursday 25 June 1.30pm
Derelict land adjacent to the Walled Garden, West Shore Road.
So come along and support us!
Ross McEwan,
Administrator, Granton Improvement Society
Tuesday 23 June 3 – 6pm, Wednesday 24 June 5 – 8pm
Waterfront Avenue
‘This bill is a momentous step in our drive to give people a stronger voice in the decisions that matter to them’ – Community Empowerment Minister Marco Biagi
More support and advice will be available for communities to take over land and buildings in their areas, Community Empowerment Minister Marco Biagi has announced.
The Community Ownership Support Service, which helps groups and local authorities transfer buildings or land assets, will see its funding increased to £400,000 over the next year.
By offering advice COSS has already helped communities turn council offices, schools, libraries and empty shops into sports centres, community shops and arts venues.
The funding boost will be used to spread the word through roadshows and by providing advice directly to community groups on the benefits of asset transfer.
It will also help the organisation support the implementation of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill which reaches its final stage in Parliament today.
The bill will give local authorities and public bodies a statutory duty to weigh up the benefits of transferring their land and buildings to communities.
Mr Biagi said: “Every community across the country has a building or area of land that could be transformed if local people were in control. This funding will help communities realise their ambitions, and find a way to improve their areas by injecting life into an old office block or waste ground.
“Taking over land or buildings can give communities the opportunity to protect services that might otherwise have been lost, it can provide jobs, training and opportunities to generate income or allow groups to refurbish and make alterations to buildings they already use.
“COSS has already supported nearly 50 asset transfers across Scotland and through this funding and the work of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill I know even more communities will benefit.
“This bill is a momentous step in our drive to give people a stronger voice in the decisions that matter to them.
“The bill will give communities more rights to take over land in both urban and rural areas, provide protection for allotments, introduce new powers to transform abandoned or derelict land and opportunities to be involved in decisions around the delivery of services, community safety, healthcare or education from day one.”
Ahead of the Stage 3 proceedings, Mr Biagi will visit the Crags Centre in Edinburgh. The centre was closed by the local authority in 2010 and reopened by the community two years later.
It received advice from COSS to help it reopen and it now serves as a sports centre for a thriving local basketball club and a wide range of other activities.
Simon Turner, co-founder of the Crags Centre said: “We’re looking forward to the Community Empowerment Bill coming into force so that other communities can create a home for their sport and cultural groups just like ours.
“The Crags has been turned around from a failing facility into a community hub that is accessible for community groups and local people. It’s the volunteers who have made it work and further support from the Scottish Government will be welcomed by those in the social enterprise sector.”
Linda Gillespie from COSS said: “We are delighted with the increased level of funding which will enable COSS to engage with a wider range of public bodies on asset transfer as well as with Community Planning Partnerships around asset rationalisation processes.
“The increased funding will also enable us to increase the technical capacity of the COSS staff team which will further benefit the groups we work with.”
