Victoria Park’s Bowling Greens
Community Garden and Cafe at Victoria Park
In 2023, Edinburgh Leisure returned several disused bowling green venues to the City of Edinburgh Council, including two in Victoria Park. Following this, the Parks and Greenspace team has been exploring opportunities to re-purpose these venues. Community consultation revealed a strong interest for both a community garden and a cafe.
Ongoing consultation identified that a community growing space, sensory garden, and cafe are key priorities.The feedback period for the Consultation and Engagement Hub closed on 8 June 2024. We received a total of 271 responses to the survey on the Consultation Hub, showing overall support for the proposal. Most respondents felt that the proposed design would make the park feel more welcoming and accessible, benefit both people and nature, and meet the community's needs. On the Consultation Hub you can find detailed information about the consultation.
Following co-design work with the Friends of Victoria Park, Trinity Community Council, Trinity Academy, and the wider community, we have developed several ideas for how these spaces could be improved and re-integrated back into the park. Our landscape architects at Atkins Realis have visually developed these ideas further, and you can see here the Re-Imagining Victoria Park Bowling Greens Report – Thriving Greenspaces.
Since then, we have been exploring the next steps to take this work further. This includes a comprehensive review covering cost estimates for reopening facilities like the toilets and pavilion, as well as exploring options to activate these spaces in a way that benefits the community. We have been working with the community throughout this to ensure that we are aligning with their needs, and to agree priorities together.
In January 2025 we advertised expressions of interest for two key projects:
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Community Growing Space: To be managed by a local partner.
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Community Café: To repurpose the pavilion.
We received wonderful ideas and applications for running these spaces, and extend our thanks again to everyone who applied. The review panel, including liaisons from the community council and Friends of Victoria Park, has selected Earth in Common as the preferred partner.
About Earth in Common
Earth in Common, an environmental charity based in Leith, addresses food system issues, climate change, and social inequality. Formerly known as Leith Community Crops in Pots, they promote urban crofting to reclaim urban green spaces for community food growing and education. Their experience with Leith Community Croft on Leith Links Park will help engage local people in shaping multifunctional greenspaces, including:
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Food-growing opportunities
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Biodiverse nature zones
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Recreational areas
Find out more about Earth in Common on their website at Earth in Common | Environmental Charity | Scotland
Funding and Next Steps
A total of £50,000 from the food-growing budget has been allocated to create the community growing area. We are also applying for additional funding to bring the full vision to life. Activities will begin in the summer – please come along and share your ideas with us about what you want the growing area to look like!
Pavilion Repurposing
For the pavilion, the Council’s Estates Department will carry out an additional consultation to change its use to a community café. At that stage, the community will be asked for their views on the proposed use of the building. Meanwhile, setting up a new community growing space is quite a big task on its own, so this will be the priority for Earth in Common in the first instance, with the pavilion to be used to support the growing activities.
How to get involved
We appreciate your patience and are excited about the next steps. We will advertise planned events in June and continue to provide updates on our website
For further details, please contact thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk.