Report: Trowbridge Gardens providing huge benefits to a “variety of communities”
A Council-funded project in Hackney Wick to deliver affordable workspace, support wellbeing, art and culture, bring communities together and create jobs, has been praised in a new report, which says “very few places in London have achieved its levels of community interaction and cohesion”.
The Trowbridge Centre in Hackney Wick was part of the Council’s Wick Workspaces project, launched in 2019. The project involved repurposing underused council buildings in the area which were then leased to workspace providers with an agreement that they would generate new affordable space for creative businesses, and bring about social and economic benefits for local communities.
With £50,000 of funding secured for Trowbridge Gardens through the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund, Arbeit Studios were selected to lease and manage the site for a period of seven years. Now, just past the project’s halfway point, a review of the initiative says the site’s range of facilities, which include affordable workspace, sanctuary gardens, a podcast studio and events and exhibition spaces,“work in harmony together and provide benefits to a variety of communities”.
Using demographic and user profile data, the report says that for every pound invested by the council in community space at Trowbridge Gardens, six pounds have been generated to bring about social benefits such as new jobs, work placements and increased spending in the local supply chain.
The workspace is fully occupied by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), 70% of which are freelancers or micro-businesses (with nine employees or less) and 70% of which were based in Hackney Wick and Fish Island before relocating to Trowbridge Gardens.
Two paid work experience placements have been delivered, while Hackney Herbal, a social enterprise specialising in nature and environmental events and activities, secured over £138,000 for the refurbishment of the garden and have also delivered a successful horticultural training programme benefitting 165 residents.
The Trowbridge Gardens workspace project and the recent review of the project shows what can be achieved when the right partnership is in place. By the Council, the Mayor of London and Arbeit Studios working together in a neighbourhood that is experiencing rapid growth the partners have ensured that economic growth can be inclusive and that publicly owned buildings can be used to help grow a diverse, resilient and productive local economy that supports the variety of communities living and working in Hackney Wick.
Cllr Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Delivery, Inclusive Economy and Regeneration
After years of living and working in Hackney Wick and Fish Island (HWFI), and seeing the rapid transformation of the area post Olympics, we became worried about the future for ourselves, our tenants and the creative community.
However, with the help of everyone who is involved in delivering Trowbridge Gardens, we have managed to imagine and create a way to continue what HWFI is all about - a place for community, creativity, possibilities and collaboration.
Nimrod Vardi, Director of Arbeit Studios
We were previously occupying shared spaces, but had been evicted from our previous site. Being able to move to Trowbridge Gardens and have a dedicated garden space of our own has had a huge influence on our organisation. We can run more events, education activities and projects to fulfil our overall mission.
A spokesperson for Hackney Herbal