A PETITION has been started to ask Edinburgh Leisure to reconsider the relocation of a yoga studio to another “completely unsuitable” part of Portobello‘s Swim Centre as part of an efficiency drive and £15m refurb.
Rosie Nimmo, who has started a petition on behalf of the yoga instructors and patrons who use the studio, says that the health and leisure body has kept residents in the dark over the plans.
In a statement, Edinburgh Leisure said that it is committed to an “open consultation process”, but emails between Rosie and a senior councillor appear to show the decision to relocate the yoga studio has already been made – before stakeholders could be asked.
Edinburgh Leisure is preparing to completely refurbish the creaking Portobello Swim Centre, a Category A listed building, which contains one of only three operational Turkish baths in Scotland.
Portobello Swim centre is a Category A-listed Victorian building (C) The Edinburgh Reporter
The building, renowned for its distinctive Victorian architecture, was first constructed in 1898, and features two swimming pools and a gym.
The City of Edinburgh Council is currently seeking contractors to carry out the works, which would see the gym on the ground floor moved upstairs, to a space currently partly occupied by the yoga studio.
Rosie believes the current yoga studio is ideal for their purposes, and the room’s location and views constitute a large part of the appeal of the classes.
She explained: “The yoga studio, which also houses Pilates, and lots of different mindfulness classes, is in a room which has four full length windows, and then a big bay window out to sea, and another westward facing set of windows.
“There used to be an early morning class, and they would do it with the lights off, so that people would experience the class as the sun rose and experience the awakening of the day. It’s a great place to do yoga.
“The class I go to on a Friday is always oversubscribed, and you’ve got to be there on the button nine o’clock to get a space.”
Rosie added that several different yoga, Pilates, and mindfulness classes will be forced to move. Some of these affected instructors are understood to be backing her campaign but have asked to remain anonymous.
Edinburgh Council Leader Jane Meagher, who is also the ward councillor for Portobello and Craigmillar, confirmed that keeping the studio in the same place is not under consideration, but that the new location has not been confirmed.
The relocation of the yoga studio has been deemed essential in the drive to streamline the operation at the swim centre.
Rosie claims that the prevailing idea among Edinburgh Leisure management is to move the yoga studio to the ground floor room currently occupied by the gym and move the gym into the yoga studio.
She added: “The gym is full of machinery, and a lot of people who look at screens as they’re doing their stuff.
“There’s not any decent natural light there and there’s no windows – there’s no views.
“So, they’re planning to move the gym up to the yoga room and bring the weights room up with it.
“And they think that by moving the yoga room down the stairs into an as yet undefined space, they are going to be able to increase class numbers from 18 to 28.”
The council is also looking to minimise the amount of lulls, where the studio sits empty between classes, that occur by rejigging the centre’s layout.
Despite the apparent efficiency gains this entails, Rosie cautioned: “The people who I’ve spoken to, the people who are up in arms about this, have said they wouldn’t go – if it’s in a downstairs room with no natural light.
“They’re shooting themselves in the foot because they’re not going to be able to get the numbers they’re thinking.”
It is understood that the water polo club in the swim centre has already forced Edinburgh Leisure into a rethink over plans to move the club to a pool without a moveable floor – an essential for the game.
Council Leader Jane Meagher, who has readily engaged with constituents over concerns about the centre’s redesign, said: “There are a lot of conflicting requirements at play here. I’m very sympathetic to the needs of the yoga studio, but the centre needs to move with the times.
“We’re going to end up with a far more sustainable swim centre.”
Edinburgh Leisure operates as an arms-length organisation from Edinburgh Council, running the city’s gyms and leisure centres on the council’s behalf.
The council does not have direct control over the body, but it is understood that it is pushing for the views of customers, clubs, clients, staff, and community representatives to be considered in forthcoming refurbishment plans.
Rosie, however, says she feels as if Edinburgh Leisure is attempting to push through unpopular changes in the name of efficiency: “They know they’ll get such bad feedback about it, so they’re not prepared to take that.
“They’ve already had hassle from the water polo people, and I spoke with them before starting this petition.”
Rosie’s petition, which began on 31 March, has so far garnered just under 200 signatures.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Leisure said: “Edinburgh Leisure and the City of Edinburgh Council are exploring design options for refurbishment of Portobello Swim Centre.
“Our key aim is to ensure we meet the needs of the multiple users of the Centre and the local community and are committed to an open consultation process once we have designs to consult on.
“We are working towards a schedule of consultations with all our stakeholders, where they will be invited to share feedback that will help shape the centre’s future and inform the final design plans.
“Any changes will be carefully considered to improve customer experience, ensure efficiency, provide relevant facilities, maximise space, and maintain accessibility and versatility for all user groups.
“By engaging multiple stakeholders, we aim to ensure that the centre continues to meet the diverse needs of the local community, supporting both individual and group activities now and into the future.”
On the consultation timeline, they added: “We are collaborating closely with key stakeholders to arrange the upcoming consultations, and once the schedule is finalised, we will communicate the details through our customer channels and media.
“At this stage, specific dates have not been confirmed.
“As part of the process, we will thoughtfully review feedback from all stakeholders and aim to integrate suggestions wherever architectural feasibility allows, provided these changes are appropriate for everyone involved.”
On sustainability of Portobello Swim Centre and empty rooms, Edinburgh Leisure said: “Currently, certain areas within the Portobello Swim Centre remain unused.
“As we prepare to celebrate Portobello’s 125th anniversary this year, our goal is to transform the facility into a vibrant, accessible space that will serve the local community for the next 125 years.
“By revitalising these underutilised spaces, we aim to ensure the centre continues to be a valuable resource for generations to come.”
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