We did it! Now it’s time to take George Street to the next level…

The news this week is all about George Street. On 15 October, at a planning committee meeting, Oxford City Council approved the plans for redeveloping 38-40 George Street.

This is a major milestone for us at Makespace. George Street offers us our first opportunity to unlock a long-term purpose built civic space after years (and continuing work) on temporary buildings as part of ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ which has provided secure, affordable accommodation for hundreds of purpose-driven groups.

We’re so excited about this unique opportunity to create a diverse and inclusive space for the immediate community in Oxford in collaboration with Marick Real Estate and Staycity.

“I hope that it will be a place that is truly accessible, somewhere that actively invites people from different communities to come and participate and use the space. I hope it can be a hub of activity for the kind of people who might not always have found a space in the centre of town, or who might not feel that the centre of town is for them, somewhere they can actually thrive and feel like it’s owned by them as well”
– Kingsley Pratt-Boyden, In-spire sounds

Our plans are not to create a traditional community centre or hall for hire, but something special for Oxford citizens – a space we feel is desperately needed in the city centre.

We’re now working towards the next phase of engagement with our community advisory board and the public. Here’s what we’ve been doing so far, and we can’t wait to get back out there and keep talking, learning and sharing ideas. 

“This is a terrific milestone and we’re excited to keep building from here. We hope to co-create a space that brings people together to share, make, celebrate, learn or simply ‘be’. A place dedicated to building Oxford’s solidarity and sharing economy. We hope you’ll join us on the journey.”

Andy Edwards, Makespace Oxford

We’d love to have you with us on this journey. We’ll be launching a new series of events and workshops soon. Sign up to our newsletter or follow us on socials to be the first to hear about them