Photo: Village Underground
Some good news following yesterday’s report that a number of London venue’s face closure in the face of rising business rates – London may well be getting a new venue.
The owners of the Village Underground have announced ambitious plans to re-open the Hackney Arts Centre, an 81-year-old venue located on Stoke Newington Road, as a multi-purpose arts space.
Resident Advisor reports that Village Underground want to turn the art deco building – originally opened in 1936 – into a space that offers music, theatre, performance art, lectures, talks and more. The plans also include restoring the building’s façade.
"We unearthed a hidden treasure—a dilapidated art deco theatre, locked behind rusted-shut doors for 30 years," Village Underground told Resident Advisor. "It's incredible that you can still make discoveries like that in today's London. We've been working on the project for over a year. We want to breathe life back into this historical building and restore it back to its intended use, a major cultural and community space for Hackney and for London.”
Village Underground is due to submit its proposal for the redevelopment of the venue to Hackney Council in the next few weeks. Members of the public are asked to write to Hackney Council in support of the project. Village Underground have stressed the importance of the new venue to Hackney’s creative economy as well as proposing major education programmes to help NEETs (not in education, employment or training) into positive learning and work.
Further details of how to support the new venue can be found at the Village Underground’s website. All letters of support must reach Hackney Council by 4pm on April 14.
