A future for Gorgie City Farm has been secured with the agreement of a 25-year lease by the city council.
The decision will see the popular community space, which closed in the wake of the Covid pandemic, taken over by Gorgie Community Farm Ltd
But the city attraction, which is set to become a new community facility, still faces financial threats.
And Gorgie Community Farm Ltd lost out by just one vote on proposals to award the start-up charity £75,000 seed funding when the plans came before the council’s Finance and Resources Committee today.
A feasibility study last year identified that capital funding was a “ key element of the success of the farm” adding that approximate capital costs for the necessary works at the site would be as high as £5m
The report added that the charity will implement a phased works programme and will aim to use significant grant funding to deliver the works as quickly as possible.
Officials had backed the new lease with conditions. One told the meeting that the more help that could be given the more that would dilute the risk.
The committee heard that extra council funding would probably be better considered as part of the wider council’s upcoming budget decision in a fortnight’s time, rather than being seen as a grant to the winning bid which had not been part of the deal offered in the initial stage of seeking bidders.
Chair of the committee Councillor Mandy Watt said she had a concern that agreeing to award money along with the lease could appear to be “moving the goalposts”.
The report added: “there is a significant capital requirement for the delivery of the community farm vision with a substantial reliance on grant funding, particularly in the initial stages”.
Officers intend to maintain links and work with the charity to develop funding streams and help the farm secure funding partners.
Local ward member Ross McKenzie, who spoke in support of the charity and the cash award told the committee: “It has been incredibly challenging to get to this stage. Much of that work to secure funding has already been done. In the meantime, the organisation that you are being asked to give to lease to has no money, no staff, no seed funding.
“If we hand this lease to a new organisation with no money then we increase the risk of the project failing and those risks are pretty substantial.”
Fellow ward member Councillor Dan Heap, who seconded the plea for funding said: “We are opening a new chapter for one of the most loved community assets in the city. We are making a good start but it should not be the end of council involvement. We need to show support beyond just giving the lease. We need to put our money where our mouth is. It is still a council owned site. We’re proposing a small investment that will make that job just a little bit easier.”
The company, which was formed to manage and run the site, promised to ensure the farm would remain “a functioning asset to which the community will enjoy access”.
The group admitted last year that, if successful, returning any animals – previously the most popular element of the free attraction – would not be possible for several years because of costs.
The charity intends to run community workshops and events, starting from February, with the intention of opening a coffee kiosk and children’s play space by May this year.
The city farm will be partnering with another Community Interest Company – Edinburgh Forge – which provides woodwork and metalwork tools, facilities and training.
Edinburgh Forge will relocate to Gorgie from their current base in Fountainbridge and the new space will allow them to offer adults and youths the chance to engage in “hands-on creativity in woodworking, metal working and other crafts”.
By Stuart Sommerville Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
Like this:
Like Loading…