Edinburgh plans lodged to turn former Portobello Police Station into a new community hub
Plans have been lodged with the City of Edinburgh Council to turn the former Portobello Police Station building into a new community hub.
Local community group Action Porty submitted proposals on November 26 for a change of use from class 4 former police station to community use at 118 Portobello High Street.
The building currently stands empty with Police Scotland announcing plans to dispose of the building in 2024, having ended operations at the police station in 2016.
The plans show the new community hub would include offices, public function rooms, art studios and gallery, and private office let/ retail space.
Action Porty is a community benefit society based in Portobello who are in the process of the acquisition of the former police station. Their ambition is to restore the building's civic function as a community hub for Portobello.
In the planning documents, the group said: “This is proposed as part of a multi-phase plan that may evolve over time as the community’s wishes evolve and change.
“The initial proposal is for a vibrant community hub with offices for community benefit organisations, public events spaces, artists studios and gallery.
“The majority of the ground floor would be publicly accessible in the medium term with quieter more private spaces located on the upper floors. A lift would be proposed at a later date.”
The detailed plans show that on the ground floor there would be a meeting room, a large function room/ gallery, a community room/ retail space to the front, and three studio spaces would replace the former police cells at the back of the property.
While, on the first floor an additional five studio spaces would be added, as well as offices, a meeting room and a public services hub.
The Portobello Town House building at 118 Portobello High Street was completed in 1878 as a purpose-built municipal building for the local area. It had spacious civic rooms including a town council room, a court room, police station and cells, and fire engine room to the rear.
The building served this purpose until 1896 when the burgh of Portobello was amalgamated into Edinburgh City Council through the Edinburgh Extension Act.
The building went on to serve as the public library until 1963, then a registrar and magistrates court and, latterly, Portobello Police Station until 2016 when Police Scotland withdrew the building from operational use.