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Meanwhile in Oxfordshire opens new community space in Oxford

Published by

Stephen Emerson

Meanwhile in Oxfordshire have celebrated their first anniversary with the opening of a new community space in central Oxford.

The repurposed ‘Community Works’ building in Frideswide Square is the latest space to be remodelled by the £1.87m project.

Meanwhile in Oxfordshire remodeled the underused building to include a café, restaurant, lounge, and event and studio spaces. Other organisations to benefit from the project are Oxford Poetry Library, Live Illustration and Robyn Macdonald Knits, while the studios will be used by Oxford Playhouse for rehearsal space.

The Oxford City Council pilot scheme, which is delivered by council delivery partners, Makespace, sees vacant Oxfordshire properties transformed to meet the needs of local community. The project is so successful that it is now being studied by other councils.

One year on, the programme’s key achievements include: close to 22,000 square feet of space secured,18 leases secured, 16 units reanimated, 18 organisations supported and 68 jobs created.

The programme helps small start-ups and social enterprises find a home by re-purposing empty retail units into independent shops, cultural venues and creative spaces. In turn, this breathes new life back into Oxfordshire’s high streets and urban centres, supporting economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic.
Makespace has received over 340 applications from independent businesses, organisations and enterprises, indicating substantial demand for affordable workspace across the county.

The programme team works closely with local residents and businesses to ensure new tenants of each unit reflect, represent and meet the needs of the area.

The project is due to run for a further two years, with a possible extension.

Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset. Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users. He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.