Meanwhile Foundation, in partnership with Meanwhile Space CIC, has been chosen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to operate a brokerage service for a new pilot called ‘Open Doors’, running from spring 2019 to spring 2020. Open Doors is a scheme bringing empty high street shops to life by matching landlords, struggling to find tenants for their empty commercial properties, with individuals or groups looking for space to house their activities. Through these partnerships, five vacant spaces on high streets across England will be brought into community use. The 5 selected spaces are located in Rochford, Bradford, Kettering, Stoke-on-Trent and Slough, and will be activated for a period up to 12 months.
We are currently looking for participants to trial their ideas in one of the available spaces, offered free of charge to successful applicants. Do you have an idea that reimagines or reinvents high street shops to become a destination for culture, wellbeing, creativity or learning? We welcome a broad range of community-orientated and/or site-specific ideas that could make positive use of a high street space and involve bringing people together.
Apply now! The ideas don’t have to be fully formed at this stage – this is a chance to test them out in a supportive space. Find more information on the project and how to apply here.
Email nikki@meanwhilespace.com for more info.
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