Margate Creative Land Trust (MCLT) – allocated £6.7m under the Margate Town Deal -has bought a second property with the aim of converting it into art studios, rehearsal space, meeting rooms and space for pop-up exhibitions, performances and open days.
The Trust has applied for planning permission for the conversion, and addition of a two-storey extension, of the former Curious Explorers nursey site in Grosvenor Place.
The building has remained un-occupied for almost two years and has a number of areas where it is deteriorating.
The aim is to repurpose it to have capacity to host around 55 people in creative industries.
Planning documents from Lee Evans Partnership on behalf of the Trust say: “The proposed creative workspace would provide locally based spaces for small businesses and creative business development, addressing the need for spaces which are appropriate, well located and which address the local economy and support the high street and local area.
“The proposed development is anticipated to provide a high quality refurbishment and extension to the existing building and provide high quality creative studios for Margate.”
The scheme also proposes to provide cycle storage and two car parking spaces.
This is the Trust’s second property. The first, the former St George’s Garage site in Cliftonville, was bought for £1.55m last year and will be turned into a mixed-use studio space. The first tenant, People Dem Collective, has already moved in.
The Land Trust, which was the first project to receive funding under the £22.2m Town Deal scheme- was set up to provide physical workspace at affordable rates for creative individuals and businesses, such as those working in design, music, publishing, architecture, film, gaming, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, literature, computer games and the performing arts.
Of the £6m capital funds it has so far spent £3,223,267 with a further £715,994 in revenue costs.
A decision on the Grosvenor Place application is yet to be made.
i cannot believe i am reading this – 6.7 million pounds for what is a minority group ,its all we hear about – art art art , i wonder why ? has it anything to do with the obscene grants handed over for what at the end of the day is mostly rubbish , i am sure this huge amount of money could be better spent in this area for the benefit of the majority!
Agreed.
More millions being spent on art projects. At the same time, people complaining about executive houses being built at Kingsgate.
The Grosvenor Place site should be used for much needed housing rather than building more houses on farmers fields or unspoiled countryside.
How can yet more Government funding be allocated to yet another art project when (a) the Government is already in so much debt and (b) so many people are desperate for housing ? ? ?
For once, I agree with Real World’s comments.
Public toilets open year round comes to mind as being of benefit to everyone!
This obsession with art has killed Margate.
Peter are you insane? Art has revitalized Margate from a weather beaten seasonal coastal town to a creative hub with a growing year round economy. The high street is testament to the money being brought to the area. If you bothered to actually come here and look you would see that it’s brought positive change, but it seems you’d much rather be a keyboard warrior.
Did you actually go to Margate High Street 20 years ago in its “weather beaten seasonal coastal town” days? As for me never going there, I last ventured into Margate High Street 6 days ago. Where do these “creatives” even buy stationery? As for “normal” shops like a greengrocers or a butchers… forget it.
Peter the shops closed for a reason, the reason being the internet, changing shopping habits. You were left with huge numbers of empty shops, I know what I would rather see, shops used and people out putting money back into the local community. The Turner brings in large numbers of visitors to Margate these visitors spend money in the local community. As do everybody else who might have moved to the community, employing local tradespeople, shopping in local shops, eating in local restaurants. You are all stuck in the past, you may not like the current Margate but a lot of people do, they enjoy what it has to offer, they have pride living here.
Plenty of other High Streets thrive despite “the internet, changing shopping habits”. Broadstairs, Birchington, Whitstable and Deal are just a few nearby examples. Margate collapsed because of the constant single vision of Art, Art, Art, and yet more bleeding Art. Would the Turner Thingy survive if it had to pay for itself by charging admission? I doubt it somehow.
Peter you are saying Margate collapsed but I see a thriving town with less and less empty shops by the day. I see people engaging with the communities issues, I see more tax receipts which means more money to spend on community improvement. I don’t know what your problem is with Margate but it’s like listening to a broken record. Every bit of progress, every bit of positive improvement is met with “Oh but the old days” “I hate art, contemporary art is dreadful”. It’s so boring.
We are doing just fine without you, yes Margate has its problems but harking back to the old days and driving out art is not the solution.
I don’t have a problem at all with art per se. My problem with it is all the freeloaders pretending that they’re reviving the place while getting endless funding.
Please tell me what new shops – as opposed to restaurants and creative spaces – have opened in recent months though, as I’m genuinely curious. Oh, and you never did tell me where all these “creatives” get their materials from, now that those hated big chains WH Smith and The Works have decided Margate is no longer a viable place for them.
I was waiting for this.Its a CAPITAL project and toilet maintenance is a revenue item.
If you want year round toilets the deal is you have to pay year round toilet maintenance funding. If toilets get handed over to Parish and Town councils and it will happen, it is already has in some places, the same people who want toilets will complain about the £70 to £100 a year parish councils precept.
This money is coming from the govt.
Is art of any sort a niche interest? Probably not. You may not like it, but lots of people do.
Not everything has to orbit around toilets, potholes, and waste bins.
I am afraid we have moved on from the Stag at Bay and the Green woman Realworld.
Back in the early victorian period there were art critics like real world saying that Turner’s painting were “rubbish” plus ca change eh!
Some people even said Showaddywaddy were rubbish!
Not me Peter. Last saw them live at Theatre Royal, brilliant night of nostalgia
They topped the single charts in 1976 and the album charts in 1978 – at the height of Punk & Disco! – but they’ve never been “cool” enough for the critics. Even now, none of the retro music magazines are even interested in a free review copy of my book, despite positively reviewing other books of mine in the past.
It’s all very similar with Margate: the new “art” crowd look back at the days of The Caprice, The Ship Inn, Primark and M&S with disdain, making out that the less successful town of today is so much more wonderful, while completely ignoring the facts.
How does the Dem Collective fit imto the creative arts sphere? They’ve generally presented themselves as some sort of pressure group for the “diaspora”, when based in the former primark and then the old nightclub, they hardly added to the street scene both places just got grubbier and ever more unkempt. Are they paying rent in their new home?
What does ‘people Dem’ mean?
It’s taking the micky out of West Indians. Jim Davidson used to do it.