New affordable creative work and community space launches in Church Street

A new enterprise space for creative businesses, individuals and charities, launched on Friday 22 November in the heart of Zone 1 at Church Street, near Edgware Road.

The Triangle scheme - operated by Arbeit Studios, a creative workspace provider - includes a workspace providing flexible units for retail, business, arts, a new café in a disused former toilet block, and community space utilising vacant shops on the corner of Church Street and Salisbury Street.

Supported by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, the Triangle Studios offer four retail units and seven self-contained, affordable workspaces dedicated to local creative businesses and organisations such as fashion and sustainability brands, toy designers, jewellery makers, fine artists, podcasts and more.

The flexible central communal space, titled the Triangle Gallery, is dedicated to local community activities, including arts & culture, community meetings, creative workshops and events. The Triangle Gallery is used weekly for local organisation meetings and drop-ins, including the Mosaic Community Trust, which supports women in the local community and Westminster Wheels.      

The Triangle Pop-Up is also a 60 sqm retail unit perfect for product launches, exhibitions, classes, and other commercial activities.  

HAVEN Coffee manages the local Triangle Cafe. Founded by social entrepreneur and refugee Usman Khalid, HAVEN Coffee is a coffee brand with a social mission, running coffee shops and events across London.  

The Triangle project was made possible thanks to funding from Westminster City Council, the Mayor of London's Good Growth Fund, and the Community Investment Levy. Westminster City Council have partnered with Arbeit Studios to run the scheme, who are experts in managing affordable creative studio space for artists, designers, small businesses and start-ups – supporting more than 250 businesses in 20 sites across London.

The Triangle is the latest affordable workspace to open in Westminster and is part of the Council’s Enterprise Space Programme to provide new workspaces across the City. A key programme within the council’s Fairer Economy plan and with two more spaces launching in 2025, one on Lisson Grove and another on the Harrow Road.

Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development at Westminster City Council, said: 

"The opening of Church Street Triangle means we can support local businesses and creative enterprises, by providing a new flexible, affordable space for them to share their work and make a living in the heart of Church Street. We want to continue to honour and support all those who have been trading at the historic Church Street Market and we’re able to do this as a number of traders from the market are moving in to one of the new retail units.

"We want to improve the quality of life for people who work and live in Church Street and continue to create a sense of community, and with the support of the Mayor of London and other local partners, we've been able to achieve this through the opening of this new space." 

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Fire at the Greater London Authority said:

'The transformation of the Church Street Triangle shopfronts and public realm in partnership with Westminster City Council to create a new hub for local creatives and a space which can be enjoyed by the community is an exciting step towards the wider Church Street regeneration.

“This is just one of a series of great projects we've supported through the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund which is helping to deliver thriving, sustainable and inclusive spaces and accessible community assets across London as we build a fairer and more prosperous city for all."

Nimrod Vardi, found of Arbeit Studios said:

“We are truly excited to launch the Triangle spaces, offering new workspaces, an art gallery, community spaces and a cafe at the heart of Westminster. The Triangle project creates new facilities dedicated specifically to the diverse community of Church Street and the local area. During the period leading to the launch of the site we worked with the local residents and business community, understanding the needs and tailor the spaces and our services to accommodate everyone.

We look forward to working onsite, and welcome everyone's ideas, comments and involvement.”

Gareth Marriot, architect from Jan Kattein who designed the space and public realm said:

"The Church Street Triangle project stitches together a revitalised civic space at the heart of the Council's regeneration plans through careful acts of repair and re-imagining. Each design intervention makes a deliberate new connection. A glazed extension to a re-opened public toilet opens a cafe onto the Triangle, while an internal 'marketplace' draws micro-enterprise into a new enterprise hub in a former furniture store. Outside, the pedestrian public realm has been expanded to connect the Triangle into the market, with meandering benches to provide seating for food stalls. Together, these measures work with existing fabric to support the balance of local needs and economic opportunity amid a transformational masterplan."

Triangle Gallery exhibition: 

• 'The People of Church Street': Curated through an open call, 11 artists and 1 local organisation were selected to take part in the first exhibition at the new Triangle Gallery as part of the Triangle Studios. The exhibition brings together works representing a wide selection of media and styles, all made by people from or inspired by Church Street, celebrating the area by showcasing the people who inspired the creatives. 
• Exhibition Dates: Open Fridays and Saturdays, 1 pm to 6 pm, from Saturday 23 November 24 to Saturday 25 January 25 ( closed between 15 December 23 and 9 January 24). 

 Church Street Regeneration Scheme: 

• The regeneration of Church Street will improve the quality of life of residents and those working there. Site A will be completed by 2030 and will deliver approximately 450 new homes, 50% of which will be affordable. Click here for more information. 

About the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund

• The Good Growth Fund is the Mayor of London’s biggest regeneration fund. Launched in June 2017,  funding sources included the Local Growth Fund and European Social Fund, providing expert regeneration advice, design support and knowledge sharing opportunities.