More empty shops are being repurposed as part of a project to breathe new life into Bath city centre as the retail sector continues to grapple with the twin impacts of the pandemic and the rise of online shopping.
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Vacant Units Action Project finds new uses for void units as part of a programme to support the area’s high streets.
iIts latest projects include Fringe Arts Bath and Bath Fringe, which have taken over 5 Broad Street until 27 August.
Renamed ‘This is not a Shop’, it is now hosting events, performances and art exhibitions from Wednesdays to Sundays, noon to 5pm.
Fringe co-director Steve Henwood said: “Contemporary arts activity is an excellent antidote to the much-feared ‘decline of the high street’.
“A city and community like Bath is well placed to run an endless creative stream of modern arts experiences at the drop of a shutter: all it needs is a little support and the artistic imagination, and suddenly we have a phenomenon which is good for everyone.”
Innovative charity Share and Repair, which aims to help local people save money and the planet by reducing waste and repairing and reusing items, has opened its new shop at 3 York Buildings on George Street. It will house the charity’s ‘library of things’, carry out repairs and host ‘how-to’ workshops.
Share and Repair board of trustees chair Lorna Montgomery said: “This is such an amazing space and location for us to attract people in and encourage practical action to improve our environment.
“Keeping items in use for longer and reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill is essential to reducing our carbon emissions.
“At the same time, we ant people to rethink what and how they buy; we all own too much and often only use many things once or twice a year.
“Our Library of Things has over 400 items to borrow and we’re looking forward to working with local people to ‘Mend It, Don’t End It and Borrow don’t Buy’.”
Other vacant units across the city have been put to a variety of uses from the rapid Covid-19 testing centre at 3 Burton Street to the High Street Hub in Cheap Street, which provides support and advice to businesses.
Earlier this summer ‘In the Meanwhile’ brought art exhibitions and theatre performances to 17/18 Milsom Street and Milsom Place and a wide range of entertainment, events and activities for all the family are continuing throughout the summer with a series of Summer Sundays events.
Council deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development & resources Cllr Richard Samuel, pictured, said: “I’m delighted to see that the Vacant Units Action Project is going from strength to strength and continuing to make excellent use of more empty spaces in the city. It’s helping to make our city more vibrant and attract footfall, improving our public spaces.”
The project, which forms part of the council’s High Streets Renewal programme, was awarded £500,000 from the West of England Combined Authority’s (WECA) Recovery Fund.
Alongside this, further match funding and in-kind support has been provided by the council and Bath BID.
West of England Mayor Dan Norris, who leads WECA, added: “I’m proud that the is backing Bath so that people can enjoy pop-up art galleries and make use of recycling and repair services in buildings that would otherwise be empty.
“We are a region of innovation and creativity and this is a brilliant example of Bath people coming together to make sure our city continues to be an amazing place to shop and visit. Making sure our city centres are vibrant and safe is really important to me and our local communities.”
