Lancaster Music Co-op to Reopen After Six Years Shut

Lancaster Music Co-op is due to open its doors again in June 2027, after six years closed. A £90,000 grant from Arts Council England has secured the last of the money for the work on its Lodge Street building.

The building was forced to shut in 2021 after it was declared unsafe. Repairs worth £1.2m were first paid for with grants and a community fundraising campaign. A further £100,000 was still needed to finish the job.

The Arts Council grant depended on the co-op raising £10,000 in match-funding, which it has now done. The co-op said that came "thanks to the generosity of the local community".

Final phases of the build

In 2023 the co-operative signed a 99-year lease with the city council, agreeing to take on the work the building needed. The new grant will pay for the final build phases. They cover the rehearsal and recording rooms, the office and all finishing work.

The refurbished space will have five rehearsal rooms and a small recording studio. There is scope to develop the upstairs area, but that depends on raising further funding.

Students started it in 1985

The music co-op was founded in 1985 by a group of Lancaster University students who could not find anywhere to practise, so they opened up their own studios. A wide range of musicians have since used its facilities to rehearse and record. Maximo Park drummer Tom English, former James keyboard player Mark Hunter and The Prodigy are among those who played there.

Director Holly Blackwell said: "We just can't wait to get the music co-op back up and running again. It's been years of constant graft to get back open, but we will never give up on this place. It means too much to too many people."

She added: "Being in bands is important to people round here. It's a means of escape from normal life. The music co-op keeps the alternative dream alive."

Lancaster and Wyre MP Cat Smith said she knew how much hard work, determination and dedication the directors and supporters had put into getting the project over the line. She called the co-op "a vital part of our grassroots music scene".

Source: BBC News