What is 3Space?

3Space is an innovative new charity that enables landlords and charitable organisations to help each other during these difficult economic times, by enabling charities to access otherwise empty properties.

The economic downturn has significantly increased the number of empty properties. Empty properties damage areas and communities - creating a sense of neglect that has serious consequences for the wider area.

It costs landlords to keep a property empty, as they have to pay full business rates. Rate relief means that these costs are a lot lower for charities. This means that landlords can actually save money by installing charity tenants in their empty properties!

3Space encourages vibrant community use of empty property – giving charities the ability to expand their activities, reduce costs and reach new audiences, while bringing life back to areas that are suffering.

NEWS:

Courts could be set up in shopping centres, Magistrates' Association says

The proposals, which will be submitted to ministers, aim to reduce the time that victims, witnesses and others spend travelling to hearings by allowing more cases to be dealt with close to where the people involved live or work.

State-of-the-art court buildings are not always needed to administer justice and empty stores in shopping centres could be used instead, with the public able to see the courts at work, the Magistrates' Association said. Read More...

Support builds for meanwhile use

The Meanwhile Project, supported by the department for communities and local government commissioned a report from SQW Consulting which extolled the business case for meanwhile use of vacant properties.

The report concluded that the arrangement is beneficial to charities, property owners and the wider public and is increasingly being taken up.

They also noted increased usage of meanwhile leases, which it states are effective in managing the risks associated to meanwhile use projects. Read More... to see the full report.

Dan Thompson's innovation: the Empty Shop Network

Dan Thompson describes his main skill as "charming keys out of people". Ever since he was gifted a former bakery in Worthing which he made into an impromptu art gallery, he has been reviving disused shops with creative ventures and quirky commercial schemes. "It's very easy," he assures me.
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