Rich Mix, an East London community arts hub, secured nearly £2.5 million to refurbish the building it has occupied for 20 years. The venue will add a second entrance by refurbishing its Redchurch Street goods delivery yard and will create a new outdoor seating area. Ground-floor changes will increase flexibility across café, bar, events, and hireable spaces to unlock new income streams supporting the arts programme. Infrastructure upgrades will improve energy efficiency and long-term financial sustainability. Accessibility improvements include a Changing Places WC, acoustic and visual enhancements, and improved signage. Planning permission was initially refused due to noise concerns but was overturned on appeal in May 2024, and works are planned over 18 months with a design and project management team. Funding includes £2.2 million from Arts Council England and additional support from multiple foundations.
"Rich Mix has secured nearly £2.5 million toward refurbishing the building it has occupied for the past 20 years. The plans will add a second entrance by refurbishing their Redchurch Street goods delivery yard and also provide a new outdoor seating area. They say that the ground floor will allow them to offer greater flexibility across café, bar, events and hireable spaces, unlocking new income streams to support its arts programme."
"There will also be upgrades that will address longstanding infrastructure needs, improving energy efficiency and long-term financial sustainability. Accessibility is central to the design, with improvements including a Changing Places WC, acoustic and visual enhancements and improved signage. Tower Hamlets had originally refused planning permission for the conversion works because the venue sits at the base of a residential block of flats, and there were noise concerns about the outdoor seating, but this was overturned on appeal in May 2024."
"To fund the upgrades, Rich Mix was awarded £2.2 million in capital funding from Arts Council England Creative Foundations Fund, with additional funding from the Aldgate & Allhallows Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, The Clothworkers Foundation and Cockayne. A design and project management team has been appointed to carry out the works, and planning will now begin to coordinate them over 18 months."
"Rich Mix CEO Judith Kilvington said: "This funding is a vote of confidence in what Rich Mix represents and what it can become for its next 20 years. We are rooted in one of London's most ethnically diverse communities, and this transformation will ensure that even more people can create, share and experience culture here.""
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