£600k of Arts Council cash will help transform part of Priddy’s Hard
A military site is going to be converted into an arts centre thanks to a government grant.
Carpenters’ Yard at Priddy’s Hard is being transformed after £600,000 was awarded from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme.
Work will commence to create nine affordable art studios, with funding also being put towards making a creative community which runs cultural and creative activities.
A total of £24.2m is being put towards 67 cultural organisations across the country.
Darren Henley, chief executive at Arts Council England, said:
“This infrastructure investment will help a whole range of different cultural organisations across England to flourish, increasing opportunities for people to enjoy creatively excellent cultural events close to where they live.
“It’s particularly important that we’re making this happen in communities where cultural investment has historically been low.”
An investment of
£2.7m is being given to 10 organisations in the south west of England – for their purposes Portsmouth falls under the south west. Grants of between £100,000 and £750,000 have been rolled out in the Arts Council’s second round of contributions.
The first round saw £22.7m being handed to 66 organisations in May 2022.
Hannah Prowse, chief executive of the Portsmouth Historic Quarter charity which runs the yard, said: “It’s fabulous news and it’s the culmination of several years of work.
“There is a masterplan for Priddy’s Hard and getting a mixed use development site there for residential, commercial and business use, while giving something back to the community and making the most of the site for Gosport.
“This first phase creates affordable space for artists and creatives. We have key sites on both sides of the water, and we’ll use them to try and support artists and offer them shop frontage in the Historic Dockyard.
“We identified a need very early on for affordable art space. When we tried to gauge demand, we had our hands bitten off, so there is enormous demand for this sort of space and we’re really happy the Arts Council chose to support us.”
Ms Prowse added there is a desperate need for creative areas in the town. “We could already fill the space four times over and we haven’t started work yet,” she added.
The chief executive said the charity had to go through a rigorous assessment process to secure the funding, with the plan being fully costed. An additional £500,000 is being put forward by the trust to match the £600,000 from the Arts Council.
Two further phases are being put together once the arts conversion has been completed.
Ms Prowse said there will be nine studio spaces complete with solar panels and air source heat pumps, shared toilet facilities and a communal kitchen for people working there, alongside a landscape courtyard where people can work and the public can get face to face with the artists.
Phil Gibby, south west area director for Arts
Council England, said he was thrilled with the investment which will unlock the region’s creative potential.
He added: “It’s not just bricks and mortar – with better buildings comes improved accessibility, new technology and a reduced environmental footprint.”
It’s fabulous news and it’s the culmination of several years of work