Richard Street Studios opens doors as creative hub for Rochdale

The official opening of Richard Street Studios took place on Friday 27 September and was attended by local MP Paul Waugh and Councillor Sue Smith, the council's portfolio holder for communities and co-operation.

The studios, located near Rochdale train station and the Fire Up co-working space, are managed by local creative organisation Breaking Barriers. They opened with a full suite of tenants and an exhibition showcasing local artists.

Richard Street Studios offers a variety of workspaces designed to meet the needs of Rochdale's growing creative community. 

With seven studios available, the facility caters to both digital and more hands-on creative disciplines. In addition to permanent workspaces, the studios also feature a flexible, hireable space, ideal for workshops, events, rehearsals, and small exhibitions.

Breaking Barriers, the lead tenant, plays a crucial role in managing the studios while running artist development programmes that support the broader creative sector. 

This initiative aligns with Rochdale Borough Council's commitment to the 'Community Wealth Building' model, which seeks to empower local organisations to run local services.

Paul Waugh MP praised the project, saying: “For many years austerity blighted our communities, forcing councils to make devastating cuts to many services, including culture and the arts. I am delighted that through the Community Wealth Building Model, Breaking Barriers has been empowered to support a huge number of artists and arts organisations as the lead tenant for Richard Street Studios. 

"This initiative is one of a number of creative solutions developed by the council, the RDA, and partners to address the challenges faced by the sector. 

“Already oversubscribed, the studios are providing workspace for some of Rochdale’s amazing creative professionals. Richard Street has been created by the community for the community. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

 

 

Breaking Barriers' artistic director, Parvez Qadir, shared his enthusiasm, adding: “It’s been an exhilarating time for the company over the last few months.

"Seeing the building finally open to artists from varied disciplines and seeing all the studios full is incredible. We are excited by the opportunity to work with artists, local communities, and partners across the borough to make Richard Street a creative hub for Rochdale, showcasing our local talent and helping to create a thriving cultural economy.”

With demand already outstripping supply, Rochdale Council and Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) are planning future phases of creative workspace as part of the innovative ‘Rochdale Creates Space’ project. This initiative aims to repurpose vacant properties to develop a creative district within Rochdale town centre.

Among the other capital projects currently in progress are the redevelopment of Touchstones, which will include new specialist creative spaces such as podcast, ceramic, and digital studios, as well as the Fire Up co-working space, which opened in 2022.

These projects are part of Rochdale’s broader strategy to support the creative and cultural sector. The council's ambitious plans include providing training and funding opportunities for local creatives. All opportunities, including jobs, events, activities, and directories of creatives and creative spaces, will be available on the new creative sector website, Rochdale Creates - www.rochdalecreates.co.uk. 

Councillor Sue Smith said: “Richard Street Studios is a vital opportunity to support the remarkable talent within our borough’s growing creative sector.

"The high level of demand shows the need for new creative workspaces, and we are already developing further opportunities to help meet this demand.”

The project has been delivered by Rochdale Development Agency on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council and is supported by a range of funding bodies, including the European Regional Development Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the Cultural Development Fund, administered by Arts Council England. Façade improvements were also made possible through Rochdale Town Centre’s Heritage Action Zone, funded by the council and Historic England.