Possilpark community hub receives £1.4m boost
APOSSILPARK charity is set to receive a £1.4m grant from the council to allow plans for a new community hub to progress. Almost £1.6m has already been secured for the £2.9m project by Possilpark People’s Trust (PPT), but work needs to begin, or the money will be withdrawn.
Council officers have suggested covering the funding gap and will ask councillors to agree to the proposal on Thursday.
The trust is planning to build the community hub on the site of the existing Possilpoint Community Centre and red blaes pitch.
It was granted a community asset transfer for the Denmark Street community centre in March last year.
So far, £1.5m of funding for phase one of the hub project has been secured from the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and £75,000 is coming from the Robertson Trust.
A council report states: “Like most grant funding packages, the funds secured to date are time limited, and should PPT not be able to secure the remaining balance of funding, contractually commit main works contract and claim the RCGF by March 2022, there is significant risk the funding secured to date will be withdrawn.”
Under the council’s community hubs programme, the Canal ward was identified as a priority area.
Council staff are “satisfied” the trust has reached a point, where a grant would be appropriate.
The report states the trust’s project is in line with the principles of the hubs programme and with the aims of the new People Make Glasgow Communities scheme, which gives local groups the opportunity to take over council venues or services.
Money to cover the funding deficit would be taken from the council’s community hubs fund.
Three core tenants have been secured for the new centre. These are the DASH club, which works with disabled people across the city, Link Up, which runs parent and toddler groups, and Young People’s Futures, which runs a range of activities, including a programme of youth work, jobs clubs and computer classes.
Existing community centre users, including Alcoholics Anonymous and line dancing and jive groups for older people, would use the new facility. There has also been interest from new users, such as Boom Community Arts.