A beach for Golborne?
Local entrepreneur Alan Grant has big plans for the ugly, derelict site under the Westway on the corner of Acklam and Portobello Roads, the one that's currently surrounded by hoarding (pictured above). He wants to put a beach there – and he's not just having a laugh.Alan plans a beach with volleyball courts, water features, a children's playground, kiosks with food and drink, and a variety of other fun facilities including an acoustic music stage.
Alan ran the Notting Hill Arts Club and still runs Neighbourhood (recently re-titled 12 Acklam Road), so he knows a thing or two about taking a venture by the scruff of the neck and making it successful.
He's been consulting anybody and everybody about his ideas, and he says, "I'm not really interested in doing this unless I feel the local community likes the idea. Without community support, it wouldn't succeed anyway."
As he will only get a maximum of three years lease from landlords the Westway Trust (until they go ahead with a major re-development), he needs to get started in time for this summer. The next few weeks are therefore critical to the enterprise – unless Alan can quickly get planning permission, and a considerable amount of cash, it probably won't happen. So far, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Westway Trust have been making encouraging noises.
Golborne Life will be keeping up-to-date with this story.
If you'd like to hear more about Alan's idea, send him an email.
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