Research finds unloved public buildings are perfect for regenerating town centres

A new study by regional think tank Same Skies has found that the buildings which both public and critics love to hate may be perfect for the regeneration for struggling town centres.

The report documents the transformation of a struggling 1970s shopping precinct in Huddersfield into a unique arts centre, trebling exhibition audiences and leading to the formation of new cultural initiatives that have gained national attention.

Same Skies identified the architecture of the precinct as an important factor, recommending that the projects act as a model for low-cost regeneration of other left-behind town centres.

By making the most of existing resources, this approach to regeneration is also more sustainable, making it a positive response to the climate emergency.

The Huddersfield precinct, built in 1972 and known as The Piazza, is a square of boutique-sized shop units around a small public space. Under private ownership it had a vacancy rate of more than 50% and in the summer of 2019, it was bought by Kirklees Council.

The purchase is intended to make way for the implementation of The Blueprint, the council’s £200m strategy for regenerating the town centre. The Piazza arts centre, as it has become, is still officially slated for demolition in autumn 2022.

In the interim between buying the centre and being able to begin demolition, the Council found itself directly responsible for some of the empty shop fronts which blight the centre of Huddersfield.

Advised by a local arts group, The Making Space, the Council decided to open up all of the empty shop units to arts and community organisations. The units were provided rent free on condition that the organisations scheduled regular activity.

‘The Piazza doesn’t look like much at first glance,’ said Andrew Wilson, Co-Director of Same Skies. ‘But the units are great arts spaces. They are empty white cubes, which makes them perfect for mixed use by different art forms. It gives them the flexibility needed for trying out new ideas, and for repurposing from one week to the next. The glass fronts mean everything happens in public, even if it’s just taking down an exhibition and repainting the walls. So the threshold between artists and audience is much lower than for a traditional venue. That means more people will come in for a look. The units work as unique spaces, and they are held together in a coherent whole by forming a square that is always open to the public. That creates a multiplier effect, it becomes more than the sum of the parts. If you were designing an arts venue for the next century from scratch, I don’t think you could do better.’

The site has acted as an incubator for new arts and community organisations, giving them access to space to develop their ideas and find an audience.

One such organisation, CollaborARTi, began as a handful of local artists in response to the opportunity to occupy a unit in the precinct. They were among the first tenants, and now run activities in their original shop and four more spaces, aiming to be open 4 days per week, 10am-4pm, all staffed by volunteers.

‘The success of CollaborARTi is remarkable and admirable,’ said Andrew Wilson, Co-Director of Same Skies. ‘Local artists working together have taken five empty shops which previously made the town look run down and depressing, and turned them into colourful creative spaces. That has a positive affect on “pride of place”. If we had to put a price on that, what would it be?’

Photo credit: Laura Mateescu