Richard Street Studios creative workspace launches!

Posted by on 1 Oct 2024

Photo © Escape Photography

On Friday 27th September, Richard Street creative Studios were formally opened by Paul Waugh MP for Rochdale and Councillor Sue Smith, portfolio holder for Communities and Co-operation.             
                                                                                                                           
The studios managed by creative operator Breaking Barriers opened with a full suite of tenants and an opening exhibition of local artists.

Located by Rochdale train station and the Fire Up co-working space, Richard Street Studios offers an exciting range of creative workspaces tailored to the needs of Rochdale’s growing creative business community. With seven studios, the space caters to both digital and messier creative disciplines, and as well as permanent workspaces includes a hireable flexible space ideal for workshops, events, rehearsals and small exhibitions.

Breaking Barriers, the lead tenant and local creative organisation, manage the space and run artist development programmes to support the wider creative sector. This model forms part of the Rochdale Borough Council’s commitment to the ‘Community Wealth Building’ model, which seeks to support and empower local organisations to run local services.

Paul Waugh MP for Rochdale said:
“For many years austerity blighted our communities forcing councils to make devastating cuts to many services including culture and the arts.

I am delighted that through the Community Wealth Building Model, Breaking Barriers has been empowered, to support a huge number of artists and arts organisations as the lead tenant for Richard Street Studios.  This initiative is one of a number of creative solutions developed by the council, the RDA and partners to address the challenges faced by the sector. Already oversubscribed, the studios are providing work space for some of Rochdale’s amazing creative professionals. Richard Street has been created by the community for the community. It’s a win win for everyone”.

Parvez Qadir, Artistic Director, Breaking Barriers said:
It’s been an exhilarating time for the company the last few months. Seeing the building finally open to artists from varied disciplines and seeing all the studios full is incredible. We are excited by the opportunity to work with artists, local communities and partners across the borough to make Richard Street a creative hub for Rochdale, showcasing our local talent and helping to create a thriving cultural economy.

With the studios oversubscribed Rochdale Council and the RDA are already planning future phases of creative workspace as part of the innovative ‘Rochdale Creates Space’ project, which is seeks to repurpose vacant properties as part of a developing creative district within Rochdale town centre. Other capital projects already underway within the creative district include the redevelopment of Touchstones, which will include new specialist creative workspace including podcast, ceramic and digital studios, and the Fire Up co-working space which opened in 2022.

These capital projects form part of Rochdale’s ambitious plans to support the development of the boroughs creative and cultural sector, which include a range of training and funding opportunities, which will all be listed on the new creative sector website www.rochdalecreates.co.uk alongside jobs, events, activities, and directories of creatives and creative spaces across Rochdale Borough.

Councillor Sue Smith portfolio holder for Communities and Co-operation said “Richard Street Studios is a vital opportunity to support the remarkable talent within our boroughs growing creative sector. The high level of demand goes to show the need for new creative workspace, and we are already developing further opportunities to help meet this demand.”

The project has been delivered by Rochdale Development Agency on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council.

The project is part of the Rochdale Creates Space project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Funding, and the Cultural Development Fund administered by Arts Council England. Façade improvements were supported by Rochdale Town Centers’ Heritage Action Zone, funded by Rochdale Borough Council and Historic England.

To enquire about hiring the space, contact studio@breakingbarriersrochdale.com

To see the new creative sector website to promote opportunities, creatives, events and spaces visit: www.rochdale.creates.co.uk