Listed building in Bradford's historic Little Germany taken on by community group
The building once known as the Bradford Resource Centre will now become a venue including a public events space
A LISTED building “steeped in Bradford’s rich social history” has been taken over by a community group.
The People’s Property Portfolio has been transferred the ownership of 17-21 Chapel Street in Little Germany.
The building, once known as the Bradford Resource Centre will now become a venue including a public events space and workspaces for creative and community organisations.
The building, on the same street as Bradford Playhouse, started life as The Old Quaker School for boys in 1830.
More recently, it was home to the Bradford Resource Centre, which provided support services to Bradford residents between and 1979-2021.
Having been largely closed to the public since 2021, Bradford Resource Centre Ltd agreed to hand the keys to PPP due to its commitment to retaining the building for local benefit.
It is the first acquisition of the People’s Property Portfolio, a Bradford-based Community Benefit Society committed to “combatting precarious tenancies and vacant properties owned by absent landlords in the city.”
Aims to do this by acquiring buildings for the benefit of local people and organisations. Members of the PPP board have had previous experience of developing other city spaces, including Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture’s ‘Loading Bay’ arts space.
The organisation said: “This Grade II listed building, steeped in Bradford’s rich social history, now enters a new chapter as a community-owned asset under PPP’s stewardship. PPP is fundraising to reinvent the building as a multi-purpose space that includes a public event space and different kinds of workspace for creative and community organisations.”
Harry Jelley, PPP board director, said: “The People’s Property Portfolio extends a sincere thanks to Bradford Resource Centre Ltd, whose care of this building, and years of vital public service, put it at the beating heart of our city for many years.
“Their generous support, and their belief in our vision to bring heritage spaces like this back into community ownership, have made it possible for PPP to take-on our first property. As a Co-operative, we’re passionate about Bradford’s buildings being collectively owned by Bradfordians and retained by communities.”
Fatima Mahmood, PPP board director, said: “We are honoured to breathe new life into this space, and, through our Community Benefit Society model, ensure local people have a stake and a say in its future. As the city of Bradford has a rich history of collaboration and community organising, we’re excited to work with local people and organisations to revitalise this building and build a space to create community connections. From legal support to volunteering, Bradford citizens have already shown up in many ways to help make this vision a reality – keep an eye out for ways to get involved in the coming months.”
The organisation says its aim is to safeguard the building for “charity, creative and socially-minded organisations and individuals.”
Fundraising is underway to bring the building back into use.
Over £100,000 in development funding has already been secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Bradford Council, Architectural Heritage Fund, Cooperatives UK, and Bradford Producing Hub.
A number of other parties have supported this development, including the Friends of the Bradford Resource Centre CIC, who formed around the need to sort through materials and ensure items of archival value were preserved.
A recent exhibition in Bradford’s Trapezium Gallery enabled some of these materials to be seen by the public for the first time. A collaboration with Toothless Films, Bradford Youth Film Collective, and funding from Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, saw the work of the Bradford Resource Centre brought to life in a film, which premiered in the building in October.
PPP is working with Saltaire-based architectural practice 3XA to conserve the building’s heritage features, while sensitively retrofitting it for modern use.
Planned work will bring 17-21 Chapel Street back into a good state of repair, improve sustainability and make it fit for the future with early-stage architectural plans submitted in the near future.
A community investment and membership opportunity will be launched in the new year, enabling local people to collectively own and shape the vision for the building, which they say is an “important space in the heart of the Little Germany conservation area.”