Swale Media Arts Centre awarded lease at No 34 High Street

People will soon have a space to explore their creative and artist talents as Swale Media Arts Centre take over the lease at No 34 High Street in Sittingbourne.

The large two-storey building is owned by Opportunities for Sittingbourne Ltd, a partnership between Swale Borough Council and U+I Ltd, and has been an arts and cultural space for the local community for almost 10 years.

Cllr Monique Bonney, cabinet member for economy and property at the council, said:

“We asked local not-for-profit and commercial organisations to express their interest in taking over the lease back in June and received some great business plans with lots of ideas and inspiration.

“We’ve awarded the lease to the Swale Media Arts Centre to create a creative hub for media and arts professionals, hold exhibitions of local artists work, hold events and activities for the local community and provide media equipment for exploration, learning and development.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our budding media students and local artists to explore their talents, and for our local community to take part in creative workshops and group activities.”

Helen Stock, co-director at Swale Media Arts Centre, said:

“We’re delighted to be the new lease holder at this historic building right on Sittingbourne High Street.

“We plan to create an activity, exhibition and creative space on the ground floor shop front, along with a dark room for photography.

“There is also the possibility to create a photography studio or sound proof music studio for local bands to practice in the cellar.

“There is a large space on the first floor that we would use for events, workshops and training, and we plan to create a media library with archive films, texts and memorabilia spanning over 100 years.”

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