County bosses say they will not give away Harborough community centre ‘for free’ as arts group strives to raise up to £2million

Artshouse36 is aiming to bid on the Roman Way community centre – a day centre, home to a number of charities, Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is selling to save costs.

The arts organisation originally put together a business case in January, to run the centre as an arts hub, including a cinema, café and sculpture park.

The proposal was rejected by the council and now the group is looking at ways to raise up to £2million to secure the site which was recently registered by Harborough District Council as an asset of community value – a building used to further the social wellbeing or interests of the community.

The group has six months to come up with the funds to bid on the site. Potential funding sources include the Arts Council, National Lottery, Community Ownership Fund and crowd-funding, among others.

But it is still hoping the council might make a U-turn on its decision to sell.

A group spokesperson said: “We still believe our proposal would deliver best value for Harborough and the surrounding area.

“If LCC change their mind about selling and wish to explore how we can realise this project together, we’d be happy to work with them to help deliver this for the community.”

Its plans to benefit the wider community include sculpture exhibits and workshops, schemes to upcycle materials into art and opportunities for local filmmakers.

The spokesperson added: “Two outside spaces which would be suitable for exhibiting permanent and changing sculpture exhibits by local artists, thus allowing anyone from the town’s population to view them with ease.

“We will run sculpture workshops and an initiative to use recycled items and materials to create works of art for show inside and out.

“Our plans include a two-screen cinema running programmes throughout the week, working in collaboration with Harborough Cinema to enhance choice. It will also provide opportunities for local film makers to showcase their work.”

But a spokesperson for LCC said the authority could not ‘give away the building for free’.

They explained: “The old day centre is extremely under used and expensive to keep open.

“Roman Way is a property that is no longer required for Leicestershire County Council services and is currently being marketed for sale. The property has been listed as an asset of Community Value and therefore community groups, such as Arthouse36 have a right to bid alongside other interested parties.

“Given the tough financial challenges facing local government, and our responsibility to council tax payers, we cannot justify giving away a building with an estimated value of over £1.4million for free, which Arthouse proposed.”

They added the authority was continuing to support existing tenants, which includes mobility charity Shopmobility, to support to find alternative locations due to the ‘important community role which they play’.

Artshouse36 emerged from collaborative group Creative Harborough – a collective of over 50 arts and culture organisations which came together last year. The arts group was given the task of securing a building and now operates as a separately entity alongside its part in the collective.