The NTS studio and other businesses in Dalston’s Gillett Square are under threat.
A petition has been launched to save Hackney’s Gillett Square – a vital community space and home to beloved radio station NTS – from the threat of redevelopment.
According to NTS, Hackney Council is considering the sale of the Gillett Street Car Park on the open market to private developers. If the sale goes ahead, NTS would be forced to move location.
“This would be a huge loss to the area in terms of attracting 100s of artists to the square every week and all the work opportunities we provide for local young people,” NTS tells FACT.
The square is a focal point for the local community, providing public events throughout the year and is home to experimental venue The Vortex. It’s also a skateboarding hotspot. “New residential developments would inevitably mean new resident bans on all of the above,” adds NTS.
They continue: “This would be a massive shame considering this square is one of the few public spaces in London that has regular events like this and a sense of communal freedom that is rare anywhere else in London.”
NTS tweeted a link to the petition yesterday (July 3). Addressed to Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville, it calls for the site to be listed as an Asset of Community Value, stating its importance as “one of the most valuable cultural and community urban spaces in London.”
Veteran NTS DJ Charlie Bones urged listeners to sign the petition on his Do!! You!!! breakfast show this morning (July 4). Sign the petition here.
Read next: NTS turns 5: The online radio phenomenon picks its 5 greatest broadcasts so far
