Black South West Network is Awarded 125-year Lease on Community Building
The Asset is vital space for the local community with ambitions for growth for Black and Minoritised Communities in Bristol and the Region
[BRISTOL, NOVEMBER 2023] – On 3rd of October 2023, Bristol City Council’s Cabinet awarded Black South West Network (BSWN) a 125-year lease on the Coach House community asset building, located in Bristol, St. Pauls.
Photograph of the of the outside of the Coach House building in St Pauls.
The achievement carries great cultural meaning for Black and Minoritised communities in the City of Bristol, who are aware of the tight connection between their histories and this building. Positioned in the heart of Bristol’s longest-standing Black community, the Coach House was originally funded by the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved Afrikans and then repurposed in the 1980s with Manpower Commission funding as a local Business Development Centre. After the St Paul’s protests, it provided vital space for the local community to collectively organise and work to improve the economic conditions of the area. Later, it became a cultural focal point with its café and Roy the Barber, who remains a tenant in the building over 40 years later.
As a leading racial justice organisation in Bristol and the South West, BSWN recognises the building’s historical roots and is committing to raising the necessary funds to refurbish the community asset and repristinate its full potential and value-generation function for local Black and Minoritised communities.BSWN has already raised £500,000 for the refurbishment of the Coach House and, under the new long-term lease, aims to reach £5 Million over a period of 10 years to support the realisation of an ambitious vision.
Designs for the Coach House transformation have already been developed in collaboration with the local communities with the objective to create a space that dynamically re-imagines and re-defines the concepts of cultural expression, entrepreneurship and social impact, and incubates innovative and ground-breaking ideas for Black and Minoritised community wealth-building.
Photograph taken during a Community Consultation at the Coach House with Askew Cavanna Architects.
Being a research-led organisation, BSWN deeply understands the complexity of the systemic barriers facing Black and Minoritised communities in the city-region. The evidence provided by the organisation (available on BSWN website’s research section) combined with strategic partners’ research informs us that only 5% of SMEs in Britain are Black-led (Race Disparity Audit, 2020), and only 39% of start-ups are based in the 50% most deprived areas of the West of England (WECA, 2020).
Similar to the business sector, BSWN research into the Cultural Heritage sector found a strong demand for community-led spaces to release the agency and creativity of Black and Minoritised individuals and explore alternative approaches to culture and intangible heritage production and archiving.
The Coach House 125-year lease is now creating a real opportunity for achieving this vision. In addition to the economic impact that is foreseen from the community building, with £20 million of expected GVA to be generated in the coming 10 years.
Photograph of Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol as a guest contributor on BSWN’s Leadership Development Programme.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, commented in relation to the lease:
““Part of our job is to find good people who want to get good stuff done and invest in them and allow them to lead. It disseminates sovereignty and leadership across the city, outside of the Council.”
”
Photograph of Sado Jirde, Director at BSWN at the UnMuseum Project Launch.
Sado Jirde, Director at BSWN, has declared the ambition behind this achievement: “I want to change the narrative about community and Black-led organisations. Being grassroots means added value, it doesn’t preclude you from being competitive and ambitious.” On the building, Sado states:
““In gaining a 125-year lease on the Coach House, BSWN has secured the future of this building, its history, and its location within the community for years to come. Amidst the onrush of gentrification and commercialisation of traditional community homes and spaces, it guarantees an asset for the community that preserves its cultural heritage and provides the architecture from which will develop the social, economic, and cultural agency of Black and Minoritised communities across the entire South West region.””
About BSWN
BSWN is a Black-led racial justice organisation based in Bristol that supports the development of dynamic, independent, and strong Black and Minoritised communities, businesses, and organisations to flourish whilst challenging systemic barriers. We drive racial equity in the UK society’s dimensions of research, policy, innovation, socio-economics, and health through a collective and meaningful community-led approach.
For more information, please contact Sado Jirde, Director, BSWN: director@bswn.org.uk