Hello everyone,
As many of you know, we operated Canvas Coffee in Portsmouth & Southsea Railway Station between 2013-2014 and 2020, when we made the difficult decision to close.
As some of you might have seen on social media, I've been active and vocal about how this unit has remained empty for the last 5 years. In recent months, the railway has been nationalised, which means the vacant unit is now the responsibility of us - the taxpayers.
I've been in ongoing communication with our MP Stephen Morgan since we closed during the pandemic, and more over the last few months since nationalisation. I've also met with councillors, tried engaging with the council and had conversations with Stephen Morgan's chief of staff.
To be honest, it's emotionally exhausting and requires quite a lot of work, and I'm doing this alongside running a small roastery.
People often ask if we would reopen Canvas Coffee in the train station. To be completely honest, that's a bit like asking somebody if they want to go back to a dysfunctional relationship. I find myself in a torn situation where, as a result of the COVID pandemic, we're sitting on a tremendous amount of assets and I feel a moral responsibility to make sure these assets are put to use in a sustainable and impactful way.
This morning I sent a letter to Stephen Morgan's office putting forward a proposal for Canvas Coffee to return to the station as a temporary pop-up - to stimulate economic growth and facilitate conversation about long-term solutions. I believe this could address the 5-year vacancy and create immediate jobs, but this isn't enough on its own. The issue is multi-faceted and this would just be a sensible start that stimulates economic growth and aids a bigger conversation we as taxpayers should care about - how public ownership can work differently than the previous private model.
I'm attaching the full letter here for complete transparency. The second half gives the full background of what happened at Portsmouth & Southsea Railway Station and why we had to leave.
I'm publishing this because I want to be completely transparent about everything. I've done all I can to put forward what I believe is a sensible, zero-risk solution that benefits Portsmouth and the tax payer.
If you feel as passionately as I do about what has happened, Portsmouth & Southsea Railway Station, Nationalisation of the Railway and getting our station working for our community again, I encourage you to write to Stephen Morgan ahead of his upcoming meeting with the new head of South Western Railway.
You may also contact me directly through the Canvas Coffee website if you need to and i will do my best to respond.
Attached is the letter i sent to Stephen today
Pravin
