Sheffield arts leader stresses she has ‘no interest’ in taking over community centre for Castlegate gallery plans

Louise Hutchinson is leading work for S1 Artspace, which is based at Park Hill, to create exhibition and studio spaces plus a six-acre sculpture park that would link Sheffield’s Castlegate birthplace to Park Hill.

The project is part of a successful citywide £37m government Levelling Up Fund bid made by the city and was planned for Park Hill. Louise said that changes in arts funding following the pandemic mean that idea has to change.

She said S1 Artspace is committed to working alongside Sheffield City Council to bring the project to fruition in the Castlegate area. Options include taking over the empty Market Tavern on Exchange Street or a new-build scheme.

Louise firmly ruled out taking over the Mudford’s Building next to the Market Tavern, home to Andalus Community Centre, which helps vulnerable people including asylum seekers and refugees, and Frehiwet Habesha restaurant.

Centre founder Taoufik Marah and Anthony Wood of the Castlegate Partnership, representing area stakeholders, asked questions at a council committee meeting last month that discussed changing the Levelling Up Fund bid to bring in both buildings.

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Committee chair Coun Mazher Iqbal assured Mr Marah that the centre would not be evicted from the building he leases from the council.

“This has been a journey of the last 15 years to get to this point to get secure, permanent premises in Sheffield city centre,” said Louise. She said that the problem for organisations like S1 is that the council sold off a lot of the type of premises they were looking for following the World Student Games in 1992.

In many cities, such properties are offered to arts and community organisations at a peppercorn rent, said Louise. Sheffield organisations have to rent commercial properties with no long-term security.

“Our first premises were above Corporation on Division Street,” recalled Louise. “The group was started by artists. They signed a lease and thought it was a really good lease. It locked them in for 25 years and was very much in the landlord’s favour.”

They had to take legal proceedings to move.

‘Forever challenging’

Next was Trafalgar Warehouse on Trafalgar Street, which needed a lot of work. S1 Artspace moved out in 2015 when the landlord wanted to take advantage of the upcoming area to raise the rent.

“It was forever challenging,” said Louise. “How can you exist and grow without the security of tenure that gives funders security that they can invest properly?”

S1 Artspace moved into its present home in Park Hill, developing an exhibition space in the former Scottish Queen pub. Louise remembers there was a building site all around, a few former residents were still living there and the Grace Owen nursery was still operating. She said: “We decided let’s see if we can do anything and see if anyone is interested in a programme at Park Hill.”

They had more visitors in their first 18 months than in the whole of their previous history, said Louise. A popular exhibition about making children’s play spaces involved sessions with children and school groups which all sold out.

‘Barbican of the north’

Louise said: “It was a real draw because of the location which is in a place that people weren’t expecting that sort of programme. We did a lot of work with the Grace Owen nursery, a lot of kids and parents that had never been to a gallery. There was a lot of potential here.

“As we started to do more about Park Hill, we were also thinking could this be a permanent home where we could relocate permanently, with more and more people coming in and getting involved and people doing projects.”

She said that they realised there was a need for collaboration with other people to embrace Park Hill’s heritage, architecture and design that showed the potential for a major cultural venue on the site, a “Barbican of the north”.

“It wasn’t like anything else,” said Louise, “It’s in a housing development going through a massive period of change after a turbulent history which is divisive.

“It’s something quite exciting for the city. It could be nationally important and could have a real impact.”

Pandemic hit

Louise added: “We were invited to speak to the government and Treasury. They were very keen to support the project. We were given £1 milllion in 2016-17.

“We raised £500,000 more over the next couple of years. That enabled us to bring in a capital team – people who deliver at Tate Modern, the V&A and international competitions.” Planning began for a major cultural centre.

Then the pandemic hit. Major funders such as the Arts Council and the heritage lottery rethought what projects they wanted to fund and S1 lost out.

The Levelling Up Fund bid success gave a lifeline so S1 and the council are working quickly because projects need to be delivered by March 2024.

‘Potential option’

Louise believes the sculpture park could be delivered by the Castlegate ‘public realm’ (outdoor space) plans, allowing people to visit 24/7.

She said: “It’s important that we don’t lose this investment that has been secured. We need to find an option that is the best one.

“We’re exploring quite a few different sites and the Market Tavern is a potential option. Another option is a new build. There’s lots of different versions of the scheme on the table at the minute.”

On the Mudford’s Building, Louise stressed: “There’s no way we’d see any community organisation lose their home for us. I’ve never even been around that building.”

She added: “What is a bit disappointing is that you find Sheffield battling against itself. We should be competing against other, bigger cities, not internally.”