News / Bricks
Future of community arts hub secured for five more years
The future of a community arts hub in Brislington has been secured for five more years following a collaborative partnership with Bristol City Council.
Bricks, a Bristol-based creative and community charity, delivers programmes including artist projects, community and wellbeing, youth activities, collaborative research and community publishing from St Anne’s House in Brislington.
The charity moved into the three-storey building formerly used as Bristol City Council offices in 2021, and will now run the building in partnership with the council.
is needed now More than ever
Now its long-term future is one step closer to being secured, after members worked with the council to secure a five-year Community Asset Transfer, which sees buildings in Bristol owned by the council handed over to voluntary organisations to run for the local community.
https://twitter.com/bricksbristol/status/1735599168574357874
The lease follows other recent transfers including a campaign to turn Jacob Wells Baths into a community arts hub, the handover of Coach House in St Paul’s to Black Southwest Network. and an ongoing mission to give Jubilee Pool back to the community.
A number of homes for young people are also planned for the site, with plans to cater them for young people at risk of homelessness, at university or key workers.
Bricks is hoping to secure a longer Community Asset Transfer for the building, and its members believe it will need a 35 year minimum lease to carry out more long-term improvements.
Speaking about plans for a longer lease in the future, the organisation said: “This five year lease is a great stop gap as it gives us breathing space to work on that 35 year plus plan with Bristol City Council, and also means that we are eligible for some grants that we would not have otherwise been able to access – including the Community Resilience Fund grant we were recently awarded via community decision making, and it allows us to think medium term with our communities and start longer form projects.”
The lease has been welcomed by local Labour councillors Tim Rippington and Katja Hornchen, who both agreed that community space is sparse in Brislington East, and hope to push forward Bricks’ plans for community housing on the site.
Bricks has been running creative events for the local community of St Anne’s since 2021 – photo: Bricks Bristol
“Councillor Hornchen and I are delighted that Bristol City Council and Bricks have been able to agree a new five-year lease for St Anne’s House,” said councillor Rippington.
“This is something we have been pushing for ever since we were elected, as we know how little community space there is within the ward and how valuable this long-term agreement will be to our community going forward. We’d like to thank in particular Councillor Tom Renhard for his continued support in making this happen.
“Bricks have already done fantastic work out of St Anne’s House and we are sure there is a lot more to come – we are particularly excited at the prospect of a permanent youth worker being stationed there, as well as other proposed developments like a new café.”
Main photo: Bristol City Council
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