BLACKHALL COMMUNITY TRUST CONSULTATION ON POSSIBLE RAVELSTON PARK PAVILION IMPROVEMENTS

Transcription

1 BLACKHALL COMMUNITY TRUST CONSULTATION ON POSSIBLE RAVELSTON PARK PAVILION IMPROVEMENTS Ravelston Park Pavilion has been home to Blackhall Nursery since the derelict building was rescued and refurbished in 1999 by local parents. There is no nursery provision at Blackhall Primary School and the community-run facility has provided free education and care for 3-5 year olds in the area for over 18 years, in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council. The Scottish Government is increasing the number of hours of funded early learning and childcare from 600 to 1140 hours per annum by Blackhall Nursery would like to be able to extend its offer to provide this to local families but Ravelston Park Pavilion would need to be altered/extended/rebuilt to accommodate this. A community consultation carried out in 2016/2017 identified the need for a community hub or focal point for community events including learning and social activities to create community cohesion across all age groups. A lack of local sports facilities particularly for year-round activities was also identified. is working on this. To create a community hub and enough space for Blackhall Nursery to offer additional hours to local children, a building with a footprint of approximately 325m² will be required. is exploring options to address some of these issues and to improve Ravelston Park Pavilion. The Trust has secured funding from the Scottish Land Fund to prepare some options and to explore the business case for enhancing community facilities in Ravelston Park. Five options are presented here and we are seeking the views of the local community on which option would best meet local needs whilst still preserving the integrity of the park and woodland. Please use the form provided to tell us your views. Post it in the box provided.

2 Option 1 Retain existing pavilion building and extend to north, adding community hub space Simple solution using existing footprint, extending it for community hub Nursery would have to decant (at huge cost) during build Would require extensive work to an existing building that is poor quality and not fitfor-purpose Result would still be short of the 325m² area required Requires a little more land than current footprint

3 Option 2 Demolish existing pavilion building, construct new facility on existing footprint and extend into park slightly Provides an improved and purpose-built facility Still requires costly decant during build Loss of nursery garden Still short of the 325m² target building area Requires a little more land than current footprint

4 Option 3 Construct new facility at east end of Ravelston Park, demolish pavilion after construction Simple less expensive new build, off-site construction possible No expensive decant necessary Requires more land than current footprint to create community hub space Increased garden size for nursery

5 Option 4 Construct new facility in front of existing pavilion building, community space overlooks the Park and nursery garden is retained, old pavilion is demolished after construction Simpler, less expensive build (modular off-site construction again possible) Avoids overlooking issues from adjacent property Large nursery garden No expensive decant of nursery required Sits in same corner of the park as current pavilion Requires more land to create community hub space

6 Option 5 Construct new facility on existing playpark, relocating playpark to site of current Ravelston Park Pavilion Could form part of proposal to refurbish playpark Sunny, sheltered location Does not use open space/park land No expensive decant of nursery required New playpark would differ in character from existing one

7 is: consulting the Blackhall community and stakeholders to determine their preferred option exploring Community Asset Transfer (CAT) with the City of Edinburgh Council this would bring Ravelston Park Pavilion into community ownership preparing a business plan to support the preferred option, if one emerges investigating funding options to bring the plan to fruition. What can you do? Tell us what you would like to see happening in an improved pavilion Help the Trust with consulting others to ensure as many people as possible have their say Volunteer with the Trust. This might mean showing support by becoming a member of the Trust, sharing your skills as a board member, sharing your ideas for projects and helping to deliver them, distributing newsletters or joining in with Trust events! Help with fundraising activities and come and say hello to us at local events! Show your interest by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or signing up for our enewsletters by ing us at blackhallcommunitytrust@gmail.com