{"id":884963,"date":"2026-04-10T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T16:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/884963\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T16:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T16:08:14","slug":"row-over-relocation-of-portobello-yoga-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/884963\/","title":{"rendered":"Row over relocation of Portobello yoga studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

A PETITION has been started to ask Edinburgh Leisure<\/a> to reconsider the relocation of a yoga studio to another \u201ccompletely unsuitable\u201d part of Portobello<\/a>\u2018s Swim Centre as part of an efficiency drive and \u00a315m refurb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosie Nimmo, who has started a petition<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement, Edinburgh Leisure said that it is committed to an \u201copen consultation process\u201d, but emails between Rosie and a senior councillor appear to show the decision to\u00a0relocate\u00a0the yoga studio has already been made \u2013 before stakeholders could be asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edinburgh Leisure is preparing to completely refurbish the creaking Portobello Swim Centre<\/a>, a Category A listed building, which\u00a0contains\u00a0one of only three operational Turkish baths in Scotland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Portobello<\/a>Portobello Swim centre is a Category A-listed Victorian building (C) The Edinburgh Reporter<\/p>\n

The building, renowned for its distinctive Victorian architecture, was first constructed in 1898, and features two swimming pools and a gym.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The City of Edinburgh Council<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosie believes the current yoga studio is ideal for their purposes, and the room\u2019s location and views\u00a0constitute\u00a0a large part of the appeal of the classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere 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.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a great place\u00a0to do yoga.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe class I go to on a Friday is always oversubscribed, and you\u2019ve got to be there on the button nine o\u2019clock to get a space.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosie added that several different yoga,\u00a0Pilates, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The relocation of the yoga studio has been\u00a0deemed\u00a0essential in the drive to streamline the operation at the swim centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cThe gym is full of machinery, and a lot of people who look at screens as they\u2019re doing their stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not any decent natural light there and there\u2019s no windows \u2013 there\u2019s no views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, they\u2019re planning to move the gym up to the yoga room and bring the weights room up with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The council is also looking to minimise the\u00a0amount\u00a0of lulls, where the studio sits empty between classes, that occur by rejigging the centre\u2019s layout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the\u00a0apparent\u00a0efficiency gains this entails, Rosie cautioned: \u201cThe people who I\u2019ve spoken to, the people who are up in arms about this, have said they wouldn\u2019t go \u2013 if it\u2019s in a downstairs room with no natural light.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re shooting themselves in the foot because they\u2019re not going to be able to get the numbers they\u2019re thinking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 an essential for the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Council Leader Jane Meagher, who has readily engaged with constituents over concerns about the centre\u2019s redesign, said:\u00a0\u201cThere are a lot of conflicting requirements at play here.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0very sympathetic to the needs of the yoga studio, but the centre needs to move with the times.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to end up with a far more sustainable swim centre.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edinburgh Leisure\u00a0operates\u00a0as an arms-length organisation from Edinburgh Council,\u00a0running the city\u2019s gyms and leisure centres on the council\u2019s behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosie, however, says she feels as if Edinburgh Leisure is\u00a0attempting\u00a0to push through unpopular changes in the name of efficiency:\u00a0\u201cThey know they\u2019ll get such bad feedback about it, so they\u2019re not prepared to take that. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve already had hassle from the water polo people, and I spoke with them before starting this petition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosie\u2019s petition, which began on 31 March, has so far garnered just under 200 signatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Leisure said: \u201cEdinburgh Leisure and the City of Edinburgh Council are exploring design options for refurbishment of Portobello Swim Centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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\u2019s future and inform the final design plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAny 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the consultation timeline, they added: \u201cWe 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage, specific dates have not been confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

On sustainability of Portobello Swim Centre and empty rooms, Edinburgh Leisure said: \u201cCurrently, certain areas within the Portobello Swim Centre remain unused.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we prepare to celebrate Portobello\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy revitalising these underutilised spaces, we aim to ensure the centre continues to be a valuable resource for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

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