Living Arts Hub
Sunderland
Who we are
We are a group of residents, artists and makers known as the ‘Living Arts Hub’ who are on a mission to create a space in the heart of Sunderland where people can live, work and collaborate, whilst helping to revive the city centre. For the past two years we have been working with local charity Back on the Map and social enterprise Create Streets to design new homes and workspaces in Sunniside, Sunderland and bring together the arts and cultural communities of Sunderland.
We want to create a new neighbourhood for the community designed by the community, taking inspiration from Ouseburn in Newcastle, Marmalade Lane in Cambridge and the nearby Sunderland Riverside project. The Living Arts Hub project has grown into a vision for a new neighbourhood in Sunniside, one of high-quality, beautiful, affordable housing with green spaces and facilities that can serve the whole community. With the involvement of TOWN and Create Streets, this vision is now starting to become a reality.
Background
Our site
The site is located in Sunniside, located along Nile and Villiers Street and within walking distance from the River Wear to the East and Sunderland Train Station to the West. Many creative and artist groups have moved to Sunniside already and the development of this site represents a continuation of this and a chance to create homes for them to live in.
Our principles
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Creating social and family housing
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Creating workspaces, including studios, exhibition spaces and affordable offices.
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Regenerating of Sunniside
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Constructing sustainable places from the way we move around to how we live
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Creating flexible spaces that can adapt over time