Hoxton artists given ultimatum: support demolition of studios or leave

ACAVA_Cremer_Street_Studios_460

Cremer Street Studios off Hackney Road. Photograph: Megan Davis

Artists in a block of studios threatened with demolition have been handed an ultimatum by their landlord: support the planning application or leave, the Hackney Citizen can reveal.

More than 130 artists in Cremer Street Studios, off Hackney Road, were told by their studio provider to sign a letter stating they will not oppose development plans for the site.

Property developers Regal Homes have submitted a pre-planning application to demolish all existing buildings on the site to make way for a mixed-use development – including a 20-storey tower block.

The building’s studio providers the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art (ACAVA) encouraged artists to sign a letter which stated: “I confirm my full support for the proposed redevelopment of the property.”

The letter stated that the artists would not object to any planning application for the development, and that they would “leave immediately [when the] extension expires and notice to vacate is served.”

In another email, seen by the Hackney Citizen, ACAVA explains that without the letters of support the owners of the building, D & J Simons & Sons Limited, will not extend the artists’ leases.

It reads: “ACAVA would be required by the Deed of Variation to have letters from everyone in the building agreeing not to object to the development.”

In exchange the artists will be allowed to stay until 30 November with an additional rolling extension of 30 days’ notice until the demolition takes place. Those who refuse will apparently need to vacate the property in two months.

‘Hostage situation’

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Cremer Street Studios tenant said approximately half of the artists have signed the letter.

The artist told the Hackney Citizen: “Apparently some artists went to the planning meeting and made a bit of a fuss about the plans.

“That’s why they [the landlord] gave the notice so soon. They were concerned about us interfering with the plans for the development.

“It was pretty much a hostage situation. If you want to have any chance to stay then you have to sign this letter. And I think about half the artists signed it and half didn’t.”

“They [the developers] will essentially have 60 letters from the artists saying how fabulous they think the development is.”

Many of the artists have already begun to move out of the studios and there is doubt as to whether any of them will be able to stay in the area.

Artists under threat

Duncan Smith is Artistic Director of ACAVA which has provided 90 studios in the 1960s industrial building for the past 12 years.

He was not willing to comment on the letter but said: “The position for artists across London is reaching a critical point.

“While we don’t know how much longer we are going to be able to provide artists with studios at Cremer Street, we do know that it will eventually be redeveloped.

“Replacing it and the other rapidly disappearing artists’ studio buildings in Central London is increasingly difficult and the future of London as a global centre for the visual arts is threatened.”

Artist Brad Lochore, from conservation group OPEN Shoreditch, has expressed his concerns about the proposals for this site.

He said: “I feel sorry for the artists, they have been put in a really difficult position. The developer can now show the council the letters of approval, which will greatly increase their chances of success.”

Mandi Peers, who lives opposite the studios on Cremer Street, said: “I’m concerned about who is going to be next. You know, are they going to start moving people out of the council blocks?”

A Regal Homes spokesperson said it hoped the development would offer a “range of flexible commercial units, with some in the category of affordable rent”. When asked about the letter sent to current tenants they said they were “unaware of any such letter”.

D & J Simons & Sons Limited, has not responded to the Hackney Citizen’s requests for comment.

15 Comments

  1. Susanne on Friday 15 May 2015 at 18:51

    Artists, it’s time to get organised and put up some resistance! If you want to have space in this city then you’re gonna have to fight for it. Look at the Focus E15 moms on how it’s done!



  2. Peter on Friday 15 May 2015 at 19:17

    The Joiners Arms is also owned by (and being demolished by) Simons & Sons. Our campaign would love to support any artists who want to organise resistance…



  3. Leila on Saturday 16 May 2015 at 13:26

    It’s time for the artists to wake up and fight a bit more for their own rights! Otherwise Art in London will dry out and turn into a field of dry grass soon to be poured with concrete!!! and that is the ‘death of a culture’ put first at the profit of money makers who only see their own short term individualistic profit!



  4. rv604 on Saturday 16 May 2015 at 13:39

    Bomb it, level. Shove a cancer research or medical institute there instead so people can do something useful.



  5. Joseph on Saturday 16 May 2015 at 18:44

    [Deleted by moderator]



  6. TheGreatSmellOf Brute on Monday 18 May 2015 at 14:44

    And the redevelopment agenda keeps rolling on…



  7. Joseph on Monday 18 May 2015 at 20:55

    Well edited! Not exactly what I wrote Hackney Citizen! If you are going to moderate just remove the whole lot. Shame on you! Artists are going to be ripped off – they should be aware of the double dealing.



  8. Hackney Citizen on Tuesday 19 May 2015 at 15:41

    @Joseph – We deleted parts of your comment for legal reasons. We have now removed it completely. If you wish to provide evidence that supports your allegations please email us at editor@hackneycitizen.co.uk – Ed.



  9. Jonathan on Tuesday 19 May 2015 at 18:21

    Obviously this is sad and I hope policymakers will listen to Duncan Smith, however, this is a privately-owned building and there is simply nothing to resist.

    The owner of the property has given it for artists to use for 12 years. That is something. If the owner thought people were going to put up ‘resistance’ to the tenancies being ended then I wonder if they would ever have allowed it to be used by the artists in the first place.

    This should be borne in mind by artists thinking about whether to protest and ‘resist’ (a futile activity in this case), given it could put future owners off the prospect of allowing artists to use their properties.



  10. frances on Thursday 21 May 2015 at 08:38

    beware, “affordable” rent units have been part of development proposals before to sweeten the blow… what is deemed affordable ? often after a few years these affordable rents have increased to be in line with top market rent



  11. Mandi Peers on Monday 25 May 2015 at 17:55

    I’m very concerned about the impact this will have on the area and the local community. Hoxton became fashionable in the first place due to it’s arts and music. Local businesses that support artists will suffer, as will local galleries. It’s also a terrible shame that the Joiners pub has closed down because of this proposed development. I think the best chance people have to try and preserve what is good about our local area is to petition Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils. If anyone shares my concerns please email me: amanda.peers@btinternet.com



  12. Iain on Tuesday 26 May 2015 at 09:05

    Is the brush mightier than the wrecking ball?



  13. Mike Owen on Friday 29 May 2015 at 11:27

    I don’t know what the law about planning applications is, but my concern about this story would be that a party standing to make profit from a successful planning application appears to be using what is effectively blackmail to (a) ensure support for and (b) remove opposition to that planning application. Is that legal?



  14. Jamie on Thursday 4 June 2015 at 13:52

    Fact is artist don’t band together like young mums of e15 cos basic short-term self-interest means some of them will kow-tow to hold onto their studio space for the a few measly months. If you can persuade the more selfish ones that they can should risk it and might have their space for longer then it’ll work but I doubt we’ll be seeing a repeat of the coin street coop in London ever again.



  15. CM on Thursday 26 May 2016 at 17:35

    It’s happening way to frequently around Hackney. There is a ‘pitch’ to turn the Mecca Bingo site into a 20 story block with no social housing, no support for local businesses or people. Yet more ‘luxury’ rabbit warrens with shops under. Like Hackney Rd needs more empty shop fronts or needs more empty new-builds. https://www.change.org/p/danab-carlin-parliament-uk-keep-hackney-road-s-mecca-bingo-mega-not-meagre



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