Forum Topic

The new future for Acton Library?

The Council has announced the deal with Curzon has gone belly up hence nothing happening there for 2 years. Now a great opportunity to re visit the future of this great building. Appreciate Govt have screwed local Council dry with 7 yrs of cuts. Despite that please let us have imagination and bold thinking from the Council. Should be retained for public use No 1. We lost the old Fire Station which was a thriving centre for the elderly plus lost Priory Youth centre now a school. Why not a community centre - for young, old and the arts. Bid for public funds plus the developers who have done well to help out. With imagination, determination this could be a thriving centre for the people of Acton.

Glen Barnham ● 3022d31 Comments

Are there any other examples of self-supporting community funded arts centres in London?The Arts Council have been making deep cuts and the Heritage Lottery fund is also more constrained than it was. This seems like an exceptionally difficult environment for such a venture in Acton.

Andrew OSullivan ● 3002d

Sounds a very sensible approach.

Sara Nathan ● 3003d

a possible option might be a partnership approach by local organisations working together(e.g social enterprise, regeneration and arts)and maybe a developer (e.g flats on top and community use below). Capital costs are the first hurdle- but annual financial sustainability is also a major challenge -so there needs to be mix of commercial and community. Action West London (local charity and social enterprise)has converted a number of premises for community benefit and would be interested in discussing partnership opportunities (but we don't have capital funds for purchase or conversion-these would need to be secured in a variety of ways).Are there any developers or philanthropists out there who can see the business benefits of working on a community/private sector flagship project in Acton?

John Blackmore ● 3003d

The campaign's Facebook page says "The project will be entirely self-funded for conversion and operation, which means it won’t cost the Council a penny”. Hopefully they will get their web site back up so we can find out a bit more about how it would work.

Norman Redfern ● 3014d

How will the arts centre be funded on an ongoing basis? The council is broke, i don't expect they will be able to run/pay for its ongoing upkeep and maintenance. What do you propose as a viable revenue stream to pay for "the arts" and people to run this.

Nathan Macrides ● 3014d

That sounds fantastic, Julie. I can see you're on the case. Count me in for any support you need.Everything crossed for something the community actually needs emerging from the old library building.

Cathy Johns ● 3016d

Absolutely Cathy! I have spoken to Ealing Council today about formally remounting the Arts Centre for Acton bid. The Town Hall has to go out to tender as it did 3 years ago. However, the council have been in talks with a small cinema chain from North London. What needs to take place is a meeting between the Arts Centre Acton committee with Ealing Council to find out if they (Ealing Council) would truly support and back this project considering we 'narrowly' lost out to Curzon. All the support via phone/emails I've been receiving certainly suggest the community are behind this. I have contacted Lucy Taylor who is Acting Executive Director of Regeneration and Planning to set up a meeting asap.

Julie Saunders ● 3016d

ealing are bidding to be london borough of culture 2019 - the  library/ arts centre project could be a flagship development for them to feature in their bid .

Bar Hickman ● 3019d

Yes, Chris, we have three sports/fitness venues in Acton (well, we will have again when the reincarnation of the Park Club appears) and, as you say, the "rope thing" and the putting, but no arts facilities whatsoever except a small intermittent gallery in the High St. And not even a bookshop. Very sad when there is so much talent and interest here. Let's try again, then, Julie!

Cathy Johns ● 3019d

Not quite true - we do have the putting in the park, and shortly a rope thing plus lots of good restaurants. But I agree - we need some cultural activity too.

Chris Hurley ● 3019d

Wouldn't it be nice to have SOMETHING here that we actually want and that attracts people to Acton.At the moment we have nothing.....even less than we had before.

Sarah Vickers ● 3019d

Having been a part of the group that put forward Arts Centre for Acton.  I contacted an Ealing Council councillor to discuss the potential to resurrect the plan. I have a potential funder ready. I am still waiting for a response....

Julie Saunders ● 3020d

This from Facebook an hour ago: Interesting times here in Acton. What's happened isn't much of a surprise to many of us...I think we always knew it would come to this. Yes, we've lost 3 years, so what we need to gauge now is how much of an appetite still exists to make the original plan work - a self-supporting Arts Centre with something for everyone locally, and that also attracts people in to the area.What would be an immensely helpful start is to get messages of support posted here. After that, there are websites and Twitter feeds to resurrect, along with new funding applications, business plans, marketing plans - it's a big, big job. One that's worth doing if the community feels able to get behind it again like last time. And if the Council really, truly do want to support local endeavour.Looking forward to hearing from you.

Chris Hurley ● 3020d

Looks like a planning group to try and organise another bid for a community arts centre/ cinema in the building might be an idea. I wonder if Glynne Steele, who spearheaded the earlier attempt, is still around and has either the energy or wherewithal to try again ...? (I could completely understand if not, as it was a hugely disappointing outcome last time)By the way there are so many reasons why Tony Mansell's comments are way out of line that I can't even begin to address them.

Cathy Johns ● 3020d

Me neither

Janice Evans ● 3020d

Me neither.

Sara Nathan ● 3020d

From the article:Just to qualify, I no longer live in Acton,but I lived, worked and played in Acton for 35 years and I have never, never, NEVER, heard anyone refer to that area of Acton as "The Redbrick Quarter"Just sayin'

Neil Owens ● 3020d

The Olympic model is much the most likely to be successful - but it requires guiding lights who are both hugely keen and reasonably knowledgable. Do we have anyone?

Sara Nathan ● 3021d

I'm for the multi-purpose Arts Centre. Let's keep the building as it is though, bit like what Shepherds Bush has done with theirs.

Ana Strachan ● 3021d

Somebody asked me today where the library is. If you didn't know already, you would never know it was in the Everyone active centre - it's hardly signposted at all...

Chris Hurley ● 3021d

And, of course, another good idea would be a library!!

Sarah Vickers ● 3021d

Does anyone know Lisa and Stephen Burdge who converted the Olympic Studios in Barnes into a very successful cinema? Perhaps they would be able to give us some advice. It seems the cost of converting a building into a cinema is between £1.5-£3m. (That's based on info I found via Google so no idea how reliable it is).Would Glynne Steele know what the finances are for the Library? Are we able to prevent Ealing Council from allowing a developer to turn the building into flats? Is there enough local interest and expertise to form a committee and make a bid? I have no idea how these things work, but might it make sense to make contact with people who have got something similar off the ground and up and running to find out what is involved? That's a lot of questions, but I am sure there are a lot of local people who would be willing to get involved and help.

Clare Gittins ● 3021d

A crowdfunded cinema might be possible, a quick Google finds one in Hackney that raised £57,000 on Kickstarter. But has anyone any idea how much would be needed to make it happen in Acton?

Norman Redfern ● 3021d

Crowd funded little cinema and arts on the side?

Sarah Vickers ● 3021d

A thriving centre for Arts? Really. Not just a hangout for that particular clique? Is there not lots of places in Acton that would be better suited to that. It should be a flagship building, it is a flagship building and a beautiful thing from the outside, why would we limit the inside to some scruffy rooms that people who like to paint hang out. Not convinced that the arts isn't anything other than the next loudest group of people on the list. Sad to say.

Tony Mansell ● 3021d

I am furious that the opportunity to have a genuinely local community-run  arts centre was lost in the face of Curzon's bid three whole  years ago, only for it now to come to nothing and Acton still left  without any arts facilities. I agree with Kim that we should agitate for an arts centre in Acton. Sorely needed.Crouch End has TWO cinemas!!

Cathy Johns ● 3021d

I spotted that another independent cinema chain was looking for new sites so I emailed them about the library. They replied that they wouldn't be interested because of planned cinema openings in Ealing. This is a bit confusing. Is Ealing playing potential cinema developers off against each other and ending up with no one willing to go ahead?

Norman Redfern ● 3022d

We should revive the idea of the art centre which was one of the front runners before Curzon was given the site. That was very popular with the community.

Kim Rugg ● 3022d

More flats! That's what we need :)

Alex Powrie ● 3022d

And it's been THREE years lost, not two.It's got to be viable without subsidy - seeing as there isnt any.What might work?

Sara Nathan ● 3022d

Absolutely agree

Chris Hurley ● 3022d