The Greenway Hub

Wester Hailes Growers are working with residents of Dumbryden, Murrayburn & Hailesland to create a community centre for the neighbourhood.  

The Greenway Micro Hub, will be a small community hub, a multi-use activity space with an accessible toilet.  The hub would provide WHGC and the local community a place to organise and deliver a wide range of activities throughout the year including arts and crafts activities, children’s parties, community food activities etc.  

We are working with the Council to deliver a ‘community asset transfer’ of the slabbed area to the north of the Greenway Garden which we hope to achieve in spring 2025.  We are currently working on a planning application for a ‘micro hub’ to be submitted this spring and on the look out for funding to build the hub.

Background

In 2020, Wester Hailes Growing Communities commissioned City of Play architects to work with local residents to prepare a master plan for the improvement of the greenspace and facilities around the Greenway between Murrayburn & Hailesland.  The plan recognised the lack of play opportunities and community facilities in Dumbryden, Murrayburn and Hailesland, and recommended the development of an adventure playground and a new community centre.

In 2022-23 Wester Hailes Growing Communities commissioned Community Enterprise and Calum Duncan Architects to develop a business plan and design for a “Greenway Hub”, community centre which would be sited in a large slabbed area to the North of the Greenway Garden.  WHGC is in the process of buying the site from the Council through community asset transfer.  We hope to finally own the site by Spring 2025.  

Unfortunately, in 2023-24, Scottish Government withdrew all of the large capital grants such as Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and the Place Based Investment Fund, which we would rely on to raise the £2-3 million which would be required to build the full size Hub.  

We decided to seek to develop a smaller Micro Hub on the site which had been set aside for a community workshop in the previous designs.  In 2024, we raised the funds to commission a study for the micro hub which would take the project to planning permission and building warrant.

On the 25th September 2024, we held a meeting of residents at the Greenway Garden to discuss and develop a design for the proposed Greenway Micro Hub.  Project architect Calum Duncan led an exercise to examine the purpose of the hub, and what features it should have.

By early summer 2025, we hope to have a planning permission for the Micro Hub, and ownership of the site.  This should stand us in good stead when the next funding opportunity arises, whether this year or in following years.  

Greenway Microhub Project Update

Greenway Neighbourhood Hub Design Report