STV NewsCultural organisations at a major Glasgow arts hub fear eviction from the venue they’ve called home for the last 17 years.
Tenants at Trongate 103 in Glasgow’s Merchant City have been told they have less than 28 days to sign a new lease agreement with increased rents by landlord City Property Glasgow on Friday February 27.
The venue is home to multiple organisations including Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, Glasgow Print Studio and Streetlevel Photoworks.
It comes just a month after the closure of Sauchiehall Street arts venue CCA after 33 years amid serious concerns over its finances.
‘Continued pressure’
STV NewsOne of the affected organisations is GMAC, a charity set up in 1982 to create opportunities in film-making for working class backgrounds and is linked with film festivals around the world.
Mark Langdon, chairperson of learning organisation Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC), says tenants are “extremely upset”.
“We’re very concerned about the continued pressure on cultural spaces in the city,” he told STV News. “There’s a history of cuts to funding in these areas, which make them very precarious.
“From my perspective, they want the property to give a commercial return. But with the pressures on charities, third sector and the huge cutbacks on funding, that’s just not realistic. We cannot cover a commercial return for a building like Trongate 103, nor do we think we should have to.”
STV NewsTrongate 103 opened to eight arts organisations in 2009. Back then, it was branded a landmark for Glasgow’s cultural development.
Mark said the occupants had originally been part of a partnership agreement regarding the refurbishment of the building.
While tenants had been promised a 25-year lease, for the past 17 years, the tenancy has operated on a month-to-month basis.
The current landlord has now proposed a new five-year lease that includes a substantial increase in costs that would see rent rise up to four times the current level.
STV NewsMark warns the move will have a “devastating” impact on the Scottish arts sector.
“We’re asking City Property to understand that it’s not business as usual. GMAC and other cultural tenants in Trongate 103 are hugely important to the cultural life of the city and therefore need to be treated with respect.
“They must understand that they are not just a source of revenue in terms of rent; we should be valued much more highly than that.
“We need organisations and spaces like Trongate and organisations like GMAC so people can come and express themselves. This centre should be a home for those people.
“They need to understand the reality, what we’re capable of doing and that we’re part of the cultural heart of Glasgow. We need to be recognised and valued as such.”
A spokesperson for City Property Glasgow (Investments) LLP said they are in the process of arranging meeting with each tenant.
A statement read: “Lease renewals are a standard process for all tenants given that existing leases expire and the market rent of properties change over time, which is reflected in any new lease agreement.
“Lease renewal negotiations for 103 Trongate have been ongoing for some time and we advised our tenants that the serving of a notice to vacate would be necessary to enable the old leases to end and the new lease agreements to take effect. This is common practice across the property market.”
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