Artists forced to move studio fear rent rises

Artists set to be rehoused in a new studio after their current one is demolished are calling for their rents to remain affordable.

Lansdown Art Studios, situated on Lansdown Industrial Estate in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, is the town's largest collective of artists.

Cheltenham Borough Council approved planning permission for developers to build 215 homes at the estate, and also a new purpose-built art studio elsewhere on the site.

"We have a wide spectrum of people here, including young artists, and it would be very good to retain that when we move," said artist, Tony Davie.

"We've been working very hard to impress on the developers that we need an affordable rent so that we don't lose the diversity of the artists that we've got at the moment," Mr Davie added.

The developer and owner, Cheshire Pension Fund, and Cheltenham Borough Council both declined to comment on rental prices while negotiations are underway.

Artist Andreea Dragne has been resident at Lansdown Art Studios for five years and said it had been a transformative experience.

She said: "It’s more than a studio, it’s a beautiful family that inspires and supports me. Being surrounded by such talented artists has boosted my confidence, not just as an artist, but as a person and a foreigner."

She added it was a space where "creativity grows, and connections are made".

"Cheltenham truly needs this creative haven to keep nurturing artists and the community alike," she added.

Mike Duckering, chair of the Lansdown Arts Studios, said it is "tremendous for artists" to all work together in the space.

"There's this atmosphere in the whole building that this has always been an area for artists and artists' endeavours.

"But we've had to take a pragmatic view on the whole proposition and we felt it was better to create a new building elsewhere on the site rather than fight to the death to save our current studios when we probably, ultimately, wouldn't succeed," he said.

Cheltenham MP Max Wilkinson has been supporting the artists during negotiations with both the council and developers.

"The right thing is to retain a community of artists to reflect the history and heritage of the site.

"Now, the big challenge for us is to make sure the studio is affordable for the artists, otherwise the new building will end up probably repurposed for something else.

"So it really is in the hands of the council and the owner of the site to work together to get this over the line," he said.

The new studio is due to open in 2025.

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