Partners: Lambeth Council, LJ Farm, Public Works, Architecture 00.
A multi-use site housing retail, studios, offices, a kitchen and coffee roastery, connected by a yard and growing space.
Since starting 15 years ago, we have worked with a range of partners from community groups and fellow social enterprises to property developers and local authorities. Our areas of work include stakeholder mapping and consultations, community engagement programmes and reporting, social impact assessments and new site delivery and operation.
Partners: Lambeth Council
A collaboration with Spiral Skills and Lambeth’s Future Workspace Fund to develop the concept of a young person’s led enterprise hub within the borough. The resulting project will be taken forward for funding, and brings together enterprises supporting young people, alongside space for enterprises within desirable industries for young people to gain experience, and programmes to support young people to start and grown their own businesses.
Partners: Islington Council
Located in an old Victorian school building, Dingley Space was a hub for charities and entrepreneurs in Islington.
Partners: North Somerset Council
Located within the Sovereign Centre in Weston-super-Mare’s town centre, two former retail units have been transformed into 30+ private studios and 20+ coworking desks, as well as meeting rooms and break-out areas. The site serves as a large, important addition to Weston’s professional workspaces, housing a community of local companies, freelancers and hybrid workers. We are Super also has a multi-purpose meeting room and event space that is used to stage professional events.
Partners: Southwark Council, Karl Turner Architects
Elephant Arcade is a former indoor car park transformed into retail space with a collective of 11 independent businesses, including retail, hair salons and two cafes.
The arcade was designed by Turner Works in partnership with LB Southwark and Meanwhile Space, to help transition local traders from the now-demolished shopping centre. An affordable rent policy and flexible contracts with no up-front deposit provide the opportunity to test and grow businesses. The units are let at between 50-80% of market rate.
Partners: JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Network Rail, Lambeth Council
Launched in 2014, The Platform offered local entrepreneurs free, low-risk space in a repurposed WC block to pilot their business ideas on a rotating short-term basis. Successful participants were offered follow on space in renovated railway arches, with four businesses successfully moving to commercial leases. The evolution of this neighbourhood-led approach in partnership with local community organisations has led to the transformation of a triangle of wasteland between a railway viaduct and the Loughborough Estate. Purpose-built work, events and growing space, LJ Works, was launched there in 2023.
Partners: Harrow Council
Meanwhile Space are working with Jan Kattein Architects and the London Borough of Harrow to transform a prominent town centre car park into a creative destination for a five-year meanwhile use period. Funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) under the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF), this project runs in parallel with wider town centre improvement works.
Meanwhile Space was first appointed to conduct a viability analysis for the site and were then appointed to deliver the project through RIBA design stages 0 to 6.
The project addresses community needs for creative workspaces, gathering, and leisure space, aiming to form new, and strengthen existing, relationships within the town centre, diversify the local offer and create opportunity for small businesses. Designed to be demountable, the project is to be relocated after five years. Meanwhile will operate the site upon build completion in February 2024.
Partners: Birmingham City Council
Meanwhile Use Study and Framework was commissioned by Birmingham City Council to explore potential meanwhile use opportunities accompanied by a framework and proposals for sustainable delivery, intended for use by Local Authority officers, BIDs and city council stakeholders.
The study focused on a variety of underused spaces in key areas across the city, identifying opportunities for meanwhile retail, workspace and makerspace. It details step by step guidance for initiating, implementing and delivering meanwhile projects, including the appropriate selection of premises, coordination of delivery partners and how to maximise outputs that benefit local people and are bespoke to the neighbourhood in which each project is situated.
Partners: Tower Hamlets Council
Mentored the delivery of community-led cultural activities on the high street as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zone on Wentworth Street.
Partners: Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing
We worked with Jan Kattein Architects and Metropolitan Thames Valley on a feasibility study to look at creating a temporary commercial scheme. Through engaging with the community we ascertained what locals wanted the space to provide in the time before permanent shops were built.
Partners: Ealing Council
Meanwhile Space takes over management of the council’s Grade II listed building for the next two years, reviving the iconic Manor House by bringing it back into use as a property that benefits the local community in Southall. Supporting entrepreneurs, offering affordable rents and providing an environment for new businesses to test out their ideas.
Partners: Makespace Oxford, Oxford City Council
Meanwhile in Oxfordshire was a pilot programme aiming to revitalise vacant shops and buildings following the Covid-19 pandemic. It saw vacant retail units in high streets across Oxfordshire transformed into independent shops, cultural venues, creative studios and co-working space. It helped accommodate a range of entrepreneurial, ethical and social enterprises in premises. Meanwhile Space were on the project board, working alongside Makespace Oxford and Oxford City Council.
Partners: Jan Kattein Architects
A feasibility study for the re-animation of The Quadrant Arcade, a dilapidated shopping centre in Romford.
Partners: Southwark Council, IF_DO
The Hithe was commissioned in 2018 to transform a vacant site situated at a pivotal point between Canada Water and Rotherhithe Station. The demountable structure was designed to breathe life into the space for a 10-year meanwhile use period. The Hithe fosters a sense of community and identity with its striking aesthetic statement and also by extending its benefits to the local community through partnership initiatives. It serves as a cultural hub supporting entrepreneurship, skill-sharing, and community engagement.
Partners: Hastings Commons, IF_DO, Hastings Council
Hastings Commons is a cluster of buildings, growing since 2014, that represents a pioneering example of community-led regeneration.
Partners: Westminster CC, Jan Kattein Architects
Designed in collaboration with Jan Kattein Architects, Meanwhile Space delivered and now operate the award-winning project. Timber worksheds provide street-facing retail spaces and offices sitting adjacent to a cafe, community hall and garden.
Partners: Brent Council
A 5-floor office block near Wembley Stadium was converted into a multi-use community and enterprise centre. All tenants using the space had a focus on community activities, training and support; they included London Hackspace, Stonebridge Boxing Club, London Rangers FC and Community Systems.
Partners: School for Social Entrepreneurs
Partners: Waltham Forest Council
The pop-up shop programme was funded by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, via New Homes Bonus funding as part of wider South Leyonstone high street regeneration. This six month programme gave free pop-up space for up to four weeks for local startup businesses to test and develop their business, and is operated by Meanwhile Space with support from Jan Kattein Architects.
Partners: Clarion Housing
Design and feasibility study in partnership with Jan Kattein architects for Clarion Housing to deliver options for recently completed community and office building.
Partners: Waltham Forest Council, Jan Kattein Architects
Switchboard Studios was a workspace for local creatives and entrepreneurs which repurposed a former call centre on an industrial estate in Waltham Forest. The building was transformed into 25 studios, with café space for hot-desking and informal meetings. The project formed part of the wider regeneration initiatives of Waltham Forest’s new Creative Enterprise Zone
Partners: Lambeth Council
Independent assessment of applications from an operator perspective for asset transfer of Carnegie Library for Lambeth Council
A low-budget project initiated by Haringey Council to activate vacant space to support the town centre through a period of regeneration, this mixed-use creative hub transformed a former youth services building into creative studios and activated an underused car park through the construction of worksheds and a bus-cafe.
Partners: Lambeth Council, Met Works, Network Rail
Urban Design study (led by Metropolitan Works) on enterprise and Meanwhile opportunities in Waterloo West area for Lambeth Council.
Partners: Lambeth Council
Buckinhamshire County Council made Porters Lodge available for ‘Meanwhile use’ to attract social and economic value whilst it awaits redevelopment. Porters Lodge offered 5 low-cost spaces to start-ups, creatives and small businesses in the heart of Aylebury Town Centre. The project aimed to develop a working community of local businesses and entrepreneurs that would exchange skills and support each other to test and grow their businesses.
Those involved in the project were a group of like minded people, who were willing to collaborate and encourage enterprise in Aylesbury, as well as receive support themselves. Examples of the support provided included mentoring, business advice sessions and free workshops to help people move their businesses or ideas forward.
Partners: Network Rail, Arch Co
Ongoing neighbourhood regeneration project in Lambeth that has grown from incubator opportunities in disused railway arches to a purpose-built work, growing, and event space operated by MWS.
Partners: Brent Council, The Decorators
A former car showroom was re-purposed as a local enterprise and showcase space – the HQ of Coming Soon Club, commissioned by Brent Council. Cottrell House became a hub for local textile designers and initiated World Women Wembley who developed it as affordable studio and catwalk space.
Coming Soon Club was a multi-stage programme that provided pop-up and incubation space alongside business support to help nurture business ideas and community-facing activity in Wembley.
Partners: City of Barcelona
Meanwhile activity has long been delivered all over the world as part of formal and informal projects. In October 2013 Meanwhile Space CIC was delighted to announce the launch our own exciting project (Mentrestant) which was based in the city of Barcelona. In Catalunya our premit was to design and deliver human scale city revitalization projects through the conceptual and practical use of vacant spaces, whilst retaining creative talent and entrepreneurs.
In order to unlock vacant spaces and create places from them, we worked on the ground to understand local interests and unlock the potential to provide opportunities for community benefit and new enterprise.
Partners: Locality
Partners: Brent Council, Portas Pilots
The Willesden Green Town Team was formed as a result of the Mayor’s Outer London Fund Round 1, a collaborative initiative delivered for Brent Council, Design for London, The Architecture Foundation, Meanwhile Space, and Blue Consulting. The project focused on bringing positive change to Willesden High Road, but its lasting legacy is the strong and active partnership it fostered among local residents and businesses. This partnership is now empowered to continue building on the momentum generated, creating a vibrant and thriving town centre in Willesden.
This group is now focused on developing ideas and actions that will make Willesden a better place to live and work for everyone.
Partners: GLA
Partners: Croydon Council
Partners: Brent Council, GLA, Meanwhile Foundation
Queens Parade is made up of nine vacant high street units reactivated in collaboration with local construction students for use by local SMEs.
Partners: Brent Council
Coming Soon Club transformed a former retail space and warehouse on Wembley Triangle into a pop-up for people to try out their nascent business ideas or community activities with mentoring and support. 79 projects were part of the Coming Soon Club, including a milliner, bike repairs and a juice bar. Three businesses went on to occupy commercial spaces on the high street.
Partners: Craigavon Council
Meanwhile Space visited Craigavon Borough Council, a local authority in Northern Ireland, in November 2009. An initial exploratory and workshop with local authority officers from various departments, including regeneration, economic development, arts and culture and tourism, explored the potential for developing a parallel empty shops project in two of the borough’s towns, Lurgan and Portadown. Offering an exciting opportunity to explore the potential for community activity, independent and social enterprise and improve the street scene.
2016-2021
Partners: Waltham Forest Council, Gort Scott Architects.
Guided by local engagement, Central Parade saw the transformation of a Grade II listed building into a creative hub providing space for 20 businesses including retail, freelancers and a cafe. The two-year meanwhile use was extended to five before operation was transferred to the local council.
A feasibility study to progress the viability of an interim use project under the Westway, undertaken in collaboration with Westminster Council and JKA. Our role involved local engagement to inform the mix of uses and design process, alongside business model and operational strategy.