Thanks to multiple funders, Giving Back is renovating the old bowling pavilion in Dawson Park into a new community café and hub. It will be called Sakura, the Japanese word for cherry blossom, which is something the park is well known for (see below for a video of the blossoms)
We have now signed the lease and our planning application has been approved. The building warrant will now be submitted and once this is approved we can schedule the start of the renovation works.
We are committed to minimising disruption during the renovation works and will be working closely with SAMH team and the Growing Chrysalis project to ensure this. We are all excited to see the building transform.
Sustainability is a key focus, and we plan to be as eco-friendly as possible by installing solar panels and an air source heat pump, along with new heating, electrics, doors, and windows. The café will feature a new kitchen complete with a takeaway hatch.
Our thanks to Nicoll Russell Studios and Fairhurst for their help in providing drawings, plans, structural survey and transport statement.
We aim to meet the community priorities identified in the Dundee City Council Local Community Partnership Plan for The Ferry.
Sakura means Cherry Blossoms
If you want to have a look at Dawson Park where the café will be located and the cherry blossoms it is named after, please have a look at this video by Dylan Drummond - Son Of The Sea Video Production - https://www.sonofthesea.co.uk
Sakura café/hub will be a community space for groups, services, coffee and cakes.
We want to bring the garden inside with bright colourful upcycled materials to recycle unused and unwanted equipment.
To ensure the space is welcoming and accessible to all, we will be creating a new access ramp, renovating the existing front ramp, and improving the public toilets. And, for the first time, the community garden will be regularly open to the public on weekends.
The building will be dog-friendly (owners welcome too!), though dogs are not allowed in the community garden