*NOTE - this event is at Portobello Library, not Bellfield!*
This is the third in a series of consultations on the future of Portobello Police Station. The first was an online survey conducted by Portobello Community Council, the second a face-to-face consultation in the library run by Action Porty as part of HeartTalk Porty in November 2024.
We (Action Porty) have used the input you gave us to form some proposals (including the possibility of the Police using part of the building in some way) for the use of the space over the next few years. We’d really like to hear what you think of them.
We want to keep the building for long term community ownership and use, including making sure that how we use it is able to change over time according to the needs and aspirations of future generations and a rapidly expanding community.
Local input so far has made it clear that people want to be sure that bringing this building back to life supports local businesses, activity on the High Street and a flourishing of community life. We don’t want to lose another public space to what would probably become high-end private residential use.
Background:
Along with many others around the country, Police Scotland has decided to sell off our local station, and many of us felt that losing a municipal building that has at different times been our town hall, our library, our fire and police stations would be a real loss to the community.
In response, an Action Porty sub-group was set up (like the one that helped save the 5-a-sidepitches, or the one that saved and runs Bellfield). This sub-group has been consulting with the community and with specialists, as well as negotiating with the police and with the Scottish Land Fund.
We want to make sure this iconic building is a lively presence at the beating heart of our community.
Come and have your say on community ownership plans at 6pm on Wednesday 23 July, upstairs at Portobello Library.
