A charity much-loved for decades by generations of parents, teachers and play school volunteers has announced plans to secure the future of its new home in Bristol – by building 12 new townhouses next door.
Scrapstore, which takes business waste and transforms it into art and play resources for children, said the money it will make from building 12 new homes alongside its warehouse in St Werburghs will pay for the ambitious renovation of Scrapstore House, and secure its long term future.
At the moment, Scrapstore said it is currently spending tens of thousands of pounds on repairs and maintenance to the large 19th century warehouse in St Werburghs where it has been based for more than 20 years. The building has a strip of land either side, and the plan is to get planning permission to build six new terraced homes on each side, and then sell the land and use the money to properly refurbish its own
“We are hugely excited at the prospect of embarking on these essential renovations to ensure we can enhance our services to improve art and play opportunities for children, young people, and adults in Bristol and beyond,” Scrapstore’s chief executive Kate Fowler said.
“Scrapstore House offers such a rare combination of community integration with the practical operational advantages of a large warehouse – we love our home, but it does present us with frequent challenges due to the age of the building. Now we have this incredible opportunity to return it to its glory days and enhance this space for our team, members and visitors,” she added.
The charity, which was set up back in the 1980s, is initially consulting with neighbours in Sevier Street ahead of submitting a formal planning application. The plans are on a website here, and there will be a drop-in session for neighbours on Wednesday, November 27, between 2pm and 6pm.
“It has now been over two decades since any major refurbishment has taken place, meaning the wear and tear is becoming increasingly costly, while being energy inefficient,” a Scrapstore spokesperson explained. “The charity is currently spending tens of thousands of pounds a year on repairs and maintenance.
“With the charity now owning the building outright, it has a unique opportunity to sell some undeveloped, brownfield land on two plots of land adjacent to the building, currently used partly as car parks,” she added.