As Bradford prepares to welcome the world for a year as City of Culture, Kala Sangam has revealed plans for a major capital redevelopment of its building, which will see Kala Sangam become a bigger, more welcoming and accessible space.
The plans will see the company take over the ground of its building, putting in a new 200 seat theatre, creating four new studio spaces, opening up a new prominent, easy to find front entrance and installing a new lift to give access to all floors. Work is hoped to begin in January 2024 and the reopen in 2025 as a major milestone in the City of Culture programme.
£295,758 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been received to begin the development phase of this project. This funding will enable Kala Sangam to secure planning permission and support the creation of an archive celebrating its 30 year history. Funding will also support Kala Sangam to employ its new head of community engagement to work with communities in the city to explore their own heritage, and that of the building, and empower those communities to co-programme and shape Kala Sangam’s future delivery.
Kala Sangam have also been successful in securing an increase in its regular funding from Arts Council England and will receive £362,000 a year for the next three years, starting in April 2023. One of the largest percentage increases in funding across over 900 organisations in the Portfolio, this additional funding will allow Kala Sangam to programme more dance, theatre, music and poetry and increase support for artists, focusing particularly on Bradford-based artists and those working in South Asian Artforms.
Alex Croft, creative director of Kala Sangam, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured these two significant pieces of funding in recent weeks. Each of these awards will be transformational for this organisation, and is a result of 5 years of incredibly hard work by our brilliant staff team.
“The increase in our regular funding from Arts Council England will enable us to support more artists in Bradford, have a greater role in developing South Asian Artforms locally and nationally, welcome larger audiences and play a bigger role in Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
“It is also incredibly exciting to that we are able to begin making our capital redevelopment plans a reality thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. At a time when our audiences have been increasing each and every year we know that, for some, our building is just not accessible, particularly as our public lift is too small and very unreliable. This crucial funding is the first step on the road to us changing that, creating a bigger, more open and accessible space for all communities in Bradford to visit and enjoy.”
Kala Sangam is working with Halliday Clark on the plans for the building redevelopment. Halliday Clark is a national architectural practice based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
Richard Walsh, director at Halliday Clark, said: “Halliday Clark Architects are delighted to be contributing a modern chapter to the rich history of this building, creating healthy shared spaces and functions which speak for our time, and the people who will use them.
“The redevelopment at Kala Sangam will enhance connections, both literal and symbolic strengthening links to the city and the Cathedral Conservation area as well as with the community, and our shared culture and heritage.”
