Lordship Rec Eco-hub - what's going on?

I was just asked in another thread about what's happening with the Eco-hub building in Lordhsip Rec (the community building near the playground that will have a cafe in).

It was a bit off-topic, but I thought people on here may well want to know so I thought I'd start a new thread. Could be a good place for anyone to add in ideas (or offers of help) too.

Essentially where we're at is that the Friends of Lordship Rec are forming a co-operative to take on the running of the building. This is to ensure that the building fulfils its intended purpose: to be a community building with a cafe both of which are run for the benefit of all the users of the park and the local community.

To this end, this is what we've done so far:

• We are actively pursuing taking on the lease of the Eco-hub to run it as a community building for the benefit of all park users and user groups, as was the intention for the building according to the various funding bids and the Friends' and Council's original plans.
• We will do this as a community co-operative.
• We have a agreed a legal structure for the co-op and are in the process of registering it.
• All park users and interested groups will be able to become members and take a democratic (one member, one vote) role in decision-making.
• We have already identified some funders who may be interested in giving grants to the co-op.
• A full fundraising plan is being drawn up.
• We will be allowing people to make a community investment by buying community shares in the co-op (these do not give shareholders any additional voting rights) and there arealready some members of the Friends who are willing to invest.
• We have had extensive discussions around partners and business models and we have a successful, local cafe owner and member of the Friends with whom we are exploring partnership possibilities.
• We are getting business support from the Co-operative Enterprise Hub and informal support from other cafe owners and Friends groups.
• Our business plan is taking shape around the options we have been discussing: running the whole building (including cafe) ourselves or us running the building and leasing the cafe to someone else.
• Although we will use a lot of volunteering, either option would require us to employ staff for day to day management.
• We are putting together a workers collective of tradespeople who would be willing to help out with the repair and maintenance of the building.
• We have been in discussion with the Cabinet Member and the Council Officer responsible for the awarding of the contract and they are waiting for our formal proposal.
• We have also kept open friendly communication with the original winning bidder to see if we can work with him on the basis set out in the tender (i.e. with the the Friends managing the Community Room).
• The sub-committee has been meeting on a weekly basis to push all this forward.

If you want to find out more come along to the Friends' next meeting (the AGM) on Sunday 1st September at 2pm in the Eco-hub.