Northampton art studio handed £1.2m Government grant to help it get set up in new home

A Northampton art studio has been awarded a slice of a £900m Government fund in a bid to support economic recovery.

NN Contemporary Art vacated its old premises in 9 Guildhall Road at the beginning of 2020 with a plan to move into a former County Council office block nearby at the corner of Angel Street.

The move was interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis. But now, the charity has been awarded £1.2m from the Government's £900m Getting Building Fund to help set up and refurbish the studio's new home.

The studio has been earmarked as a "Place Making project" and an investment in local infrastructure. The hope is that the finished studio will create a public space for industry and culture events.

Emer Grant, CEO of the gallery, said: “We are delighted to be embarking on this expansion and capital development project in partnership with the borough council to establish a major new cultural destination for the region.

"A contemporary art space is a driver of progressive, positive change, that contributes to building diverse, sustainable communities.

"This project will bring exciting benefits to many and is much more than arts development or renovations. This is about recognising the pivotal role of culture in shaping not just new public spaces, but new creative, public futures.”

The block of offices at the end of County Hall where Angel Street meets Guildhall Road has been empty since the county council moved into One Angel Square in 2017.

The ground floor of the county hall block would be made into nine studio spaces and a larger 'project' room for more complex instalments.

The studio spaces would be on the same street as the upcoming borough council £14m Vulcan Works project to create 59 lettable units for start-up businesses.

The council's £6.7m Northampton Museum & Art Gallery is also scheduled to open on Guildhall Road before the end of 2020.

The £1.2m funding for the gallery was part of a total of £27m allocated to the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), which covers Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.

Hilary Chipping, SEMLEP Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have secured more than £27m from government to help support economic recovery in this area. These projects will support key priorities including skills for young people, the green recovery and innovation, which will all generate jobs.