‘Speak out to save Hamilton House’

There was an element of Groundhog Day as the Hamilton House community rallied to fight for its core values in the face of increasing uncertainty and creeping commercialisation.

For more than a year, the collective of artists, charities and organisations that call the Stokes Croft building home have been operating under a cloud of doubt, following a rejected bid to buy the property to secure its future, evictions from some work spaces and emerging redevelopment plans.

Coexist, the social enterprise that has run the community hub since its inception in 2008, were dealt what looks like a deathly blow last week when Hamilton House owners Connolly and Callaghan (C+C) announced they would not offer a long-term lease.

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Read more: ‘It’s disappointing Hamilton House owners have disregarded the wishes of the majority’

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At a packed public meeting on Wednesday, the wider community once again made their voices clear amid growing fears that the installation of a new management company will give rise to an era of commercialisation that would destroy the ethos of the beloved building.

Wednesday’s meeting was reminiscent of public meetings held last year over the future of Hamilton House

The Save Hamilton House campaign group called on people to mobilise, saying: “We believe that in order to safeguard Hamilton House’s place in the community, it is essential that Coexist continue to manage the space, putting value before profit.”

“We are not here to save Coexist,” said Ari Cantwell, a director of Coexist. “We are not saying that no-one else could look after this building and run a great community space, but for the last ten years, we have built this community and we really believe that we can make it better than the vibrant space it already is.

“We are sceptical that a new company coming in could keep the community at its core with the commercial pressures.”

C+C said it arrived at the decision following an independent review of Coexist’s financial plans and believes it is “the best way of respecting the successes of the past, strengthening areas of weakness to create a sustainable community hub for the future”.

Coexist directors argue that they do have a workable business plan. The sticking point seems to be the reliance on some grant funding, but it was pointed out during the meeting that most arts ventures are reliant on some grant funding – including big names such as Bristol Old Vic, the Arnolfini and Spike Island.

Coexist maintains that the instability C+C has forced on the organisation, by not offering a long-term lease over the years, has held it back.

Passions ran high in the hot events space on Wednesday lunch time as people voiced their support for Coexist.

“All of our lives are being affected, we are losing clients and losing contracts. The only way is to work together,” said one person, summing it up for many.

C+C’s head of social enterprise Andrew Baker (far right) fields questions from the community

C&C’s head of social enterprise Andrew Baker spoke on behalf of the company and said it had been subsidising the enterprise for years and had now lost faith in Coexist’s ability to run it. He indicated that although no contracts have been signed, another company has been lined up to take on the management.

“It does not work as an organisation,” he said – a statement that was met with a storm of outrage and shouts of “it works for us”.

It was also questioned why C+C would so suddenly decide to remove its subsidy – resulting in a rent hike of sum 400 per cent.

C+C’s Fran Connolly said in a statement last week that the company has no wish to see Coexist leave Hamilton House, but want to “release them from the responsibility of space management so that they can focus on the community outreach that is their core value”.

Speaking at the meeting, Ari said: “If we do not have a contract in October then we are crippled so we cannot run community stuff.”

She added: “We are not an inexperienced organisation, we want to live and make thrive the amazing space this is. Community spaces in the heart of cities are incredibly important, particularly in times of austerity.”

One person pointed out that C+C is not the enemy and – as the building’s owner – has every right to do with it what it once having allowed the community hub to thrive for a decade.

Robbie Gillett of Adblock Bristol argued that while capitalism may be the reality, that doesn’t make it ok and urged people to fight against it to keep Hamilton House alive.

Sign the Save Hamilton House petition via: www.you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-hamilton-house.

Read more: Revealed: Latest development plans for Hamilton House