Contact Cllr Darren Rodwell @DarrenRodwell on Twitter/X to let him know your thoughts with the hashtag #SaveOurWarehouse
Dear Barking & Dagenham residents and community groups,
Did you know that there is a wonderful community space in the borough called ‘Everyone’s Warehouse’ that has been enjoyed by many residents and groups since it first opened in 2017. It has been the site of many local community events and a home for makers of all kinds. It’s an incredible space with untapped potential that unfortunately is now threatened with closure and we want to reach out to see if you will support our campaign and business case to save it.
The landlord, Barking & Dagenham Council, provided a peppercorn rent and £1.5 million in funding (alongside other funders) to set up and oversee the project. The warehouse provided a roof for creative social businesses and access to amazing free facilities like wood working, textile making, pottery, gardening, catering and event space for residents. With no youth facilities in the ward the warehouse offered a safe space for young people in an area with concerning incidents of youth-related crime. GP drop-in sessions have been run here by Dr John’s Aurora Medcare team providing appointments and social prescribing interventions. We’ve heard countless stories of this warm space providing socializing opportunities and hope to residents suffering from lockdown related depression and those looking to build career enhancing skills. Considering the health profile of the area as the most deprived borough in England and Wales, and general lack community space, keeping the warehouse open and free to local groups paves a path to enhance social cohesion and facilitate community development.
The Council chose not to continue funding Everyone Everyday and want to take back the building to rent out commercially for around £200k annually. As residents of the Thames area we are dismayed that after 5 years of funding to fit out the building with expensive facilities there is no plan for a legacy. The Council want to dispose of the warehouse’s equipment by dispersing them to organizations across the borough. But it’s likely most will not be re-located due to their size, expensive moving costs and the complex electrical requirements for their continued use (such as a 3 phase power supply). The legacy of this project will disappear if the assets are dispersed and the community of makers broken up. This would destroy the very essence of what makes the warehouse a success: a place to go to acquire skills, an incubator for diverse businesses and a home for Barking’s best creators and makers. If it’s allowed to close it will be the most shocking waste of taxpayers money in Barking & Dagenham’s history.
The good news is we the residents have a plan to protect this incredible asset. We’ve consulted with similar makers spaces across London to develop a robust business plan, secured potential revenue to cover future running costs, are starting to build a local consortium that could manage the space, and have received interest from large grant making trusts who could financially support the warehouse’s continuation as a community makers space. But we need the Council to take our resident business case seriously.
The Council say that the warehouse’ abrupt closure was ‘always the plan’ and that the area will be redeveloped for housing anyway, but demolition and development are expected to be 4-5 years away. We fear the building may be unmarketable and stand empty since it’s likely only fit as a meanwhile creative space. Moreover, with more and more densely built housing units planned for the area, where are the plans for more free community space?
The Council say they need to save money, but their own report to cabinet shows they expect to loan Be First (the Council’s planning department and arms-length developer) £712 million to keep their huge house building project viable. The Council also forked out £200k to bail out Studio 3 Arts and spent £150k on the coronation, so we believe they could find the money if they wanted to.
Our campaign has been on BBC TV & radio news, generated online articles and we have marched to the town hall to present our business case but still Council Leader Darren Rodwell – the ultimate decision maker – will not meet with us to negotiate a compromise.
We would like to ask that you support our plan to #savethewarehouse by signing our open letter and requesting that Cllr Rodwell begin open talks with the Friends of the Warehouse Group to reach an agreement.
Together we can protect a local treasure that makes residents feel proud to live in Barking and Dagenham and brings hope, light and joy to many people’s lives.
Will you support us?
If so please email your electronic signature to rippleeffectgroup@hotmail.com
Kind regards,
The Friends of the Warehouse Group
You can also follow campaign updates via our social media accounts:
Instagram @bdrippleeffect
Facebook.com/bdrippleeffect
Twitter @bdrippleeffect
Website: www.bdrippleeffect.org.uk/save-our-warehouse-campaign