Artists face being forced out of capital due to council studio eviction

ARTISTS face being forced out of the capital after a council decision to kick them out of their studios in Catford.

Catford Dek – an arts space comprising 35 open-plan studios – is being evicted to make way for the Goldsmiths University expansion into the Old Town Hall.

The current tenants at Catford Dek are now worried about their future and have slammed Lewisham Council for offering them “mouldy” and expensive alternative studios.

Sarah Mercadé, a costume designer based in Catford Dek, told the Lewisham Letter she may have to leave London due to the council’s decision.

She said: “I’m already at the limit of what I can afford. My rental costs have gone up by 65% since 2023. I’ve already had to give up therapy because I can’t afford it anymore and I walk to work to save money.

The Old Town Hall in Catford — **PICTURED: Catford Dek occupies a floor at the Old Town Hall in Catford**

“The alternative studios we’ve been offered are inferior spaces for double the price.

“And I don’t have the space to work from home so the only option I’m now facing is moving out of London.

“It feels very destabilising. I feel at home here and my family have roots here – I don’t want to leave.”

Michelle Lewis, a freelance creative pattern cutter at Catford Dek, warned she is facing the prospect of having to shut down her business due to the eviction.

She said: “Everything else is so expensive and I can’t work from home as we physically don’t have the space I need.

**PICTURED: One of the “grim” V22 studios that was put forward as an alternative for the artists** **(picture from the V22 website)**

“I have industrial sewing machines, mannequins and tools here and I can’t afford storage space.

“So I would have to shut down.”

Another tenant, Margot Lombaert, the founder of Lombaert Studio, said: “The alternative studios they have put forward are twice the price of here, I can’t afford it. And they’re not equivalent to these studios.

“One of the alternatives the council put forward is V22. You can see stains on the carpets in the pictures of the studios. One of them looks like it has black mould. That studio costs around £750 a month. I pay £350 a month here.

“I find it insulting that the council is suggesting these places to us. I’m now going to have to work from home every day which from a mental health point of view is not good.

“The council shouldn’t be saying they are giving us another location as they make it seem like we are being relocated.

“I’d like them to offer us an alternative space where we can all move in together at a similar price point.”

A spokesman for V22 said the photos on its website of the Broadway Chambers studios, in Catford, were taken around six months ago – at the beginning of a renovation process.

The spokesman added: “When V22 took over the building there were a number of existing issues, and we have been working closely with the council to address them.

**PICTURED: Joyce Treasure echoed the concerns of other artists at Catford Dek**

“This has included resolving leaks from the roof which caused some of the stains visible in those early images. We will now take these images down and replace them with new ones early next week to reflect the current condition of the space.”

Animation director Joe Clark, who runs Oh Studio from Catford Dek, said: “We were upset with the council about how they released it.

“It seemed like everything was communicated by newspaper articles instead of talking to us.

“The alternatives they have offered us are half the space for double the price and pretty grim.

“I can’t afford the new places, I pay £350 a month at the moment and it’s already a stretch for me.”

Another tenant, Joyce Treasure, a multi-disciplinary artist, said she was keen to work with the council to find an alternative home for the studios.

But she added: “The three different spaces the council has offered us are not suitable.

“They are double the price and not as well fitted as here. We are not interested in them.”

During the Lewisham Letter’s visit to the Catford Dek, a group of workers from Goldsmiths University walked through the studios but declined to talk to the artists about the plans.

Joyce branded the visit insensitive and said it was inappropriate for them to “breeze” through the building while the artists were worrying about their future.

Bow Arts, the charity behind Catford Dek, said it was “shocked” by the closure news in an email sent out to the tenants on Thursday last week – the day after the council announced the Goldsmiths expansion on its website.

It is understood Bow Arts will have to leave the Old Town Hall by the end of June.

Goldsmiths University declined to comment.

Lewisham Council also declined to comment beyond the original announcement on its website.

Home » News » Artists face being forced out of capital due to council studio eviction

Artists face being forced out of capital due to council studio eviction

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