Boho Hub Journey
A timeline of how a community vision became a £1.25 million capital project.
The refurbishment of a run-down vacant property at 66-76 Scotswood Road NE4 7JE into a "Third Place" with creative workshop rooms, a performance space, cafe-bar and small garden. Just a stone's throw from Newcastle Central Station.
Imagine a space that’s full of creative activity, where you always feel welcome, included, safe and part of a community. Where you can have fun, learn new things, make new work, exchange ideas, meet new people, relax with your friends socially, and come away feeling inspired & creatively fulfilled.
Follow our journey from now back to 2021 when it all started. We’ll keep adding updates as the project progresses.
May 2026
Preparing for Construction
Photo: Strictly now a hard hat zone 👆 Bev Fox (Boho's CEO) reviews the donated furniture that needs to go into storage before construction begins.
Technical designs are being revised by the professional design team and preferred contractor during a period of "Value Engineering", with the aim of bringing costs down to align with the budget. Construction costs remain challenging across the sector but the project continues to move forward. The team is reviewing costs, refining the programme, and preparing for construction to begin.
Architectural Layouts
Behind these layouts sit hundreds of architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical drawings.
Ground Floor
First Floor
March / April 2026
Tendering, Planning and Volunteer Power
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Contractor tenders were received and analysed, a preferred contractor was recommended, and planning amendments were approved.
At the same time, a brilliant team of eight volunteers began stripping out the building - clearing junk, reducing contractor costs, and helping keep the programme moving.
Their work saved thousands in potential contractor fees and showed, once again, that this project is driven by its community.
👈 Photo: Still smiling after a hard day's graft. A minor injury bandage up by our Trustee medic - Health and Safety first! Followed by a rewarding pint on a surprisingly sunny day.
Jan / Feb 2026
Procurement Begins
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The new year brought a new Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor and the start of the main contractor procurement process.
Ten contractors submitted expressions of interest, with four progressing to the main tender stage. Planning amendments were also submitted to the Council for approval.
Behind the scenes, Boho’s executive team began a major period of project meetings, funder monitoring, reporting and planning - working closely with our PM, QS and professional design team to keep the next stage moving.
Nov 2025
A Landmark Day
November marked one of the biggest milestones in the project’s history. After years of planning, fundraising and negotiation, Boho Arts signed the Grant Funding Agreement and secured our 30-year lease for the building on the same day.
With North East Combined Authority contributing £957,598, Newcastle City Council contributing £250,000, and £44,000 raised through Boho Arts’ 2023 crowdfunding campaign, the project’s total value reached £1,251,598.
At last, the project had secured the venue and the capital funding needed to move towards delivery of Phase 1.
👆Photo: John Seager, (Trustee) and Bev Fox (CEO) outside Newcastle Civic Centre having just signed the Grant Funding Agreement and 30-year Lease
July / August 2025
Unlocking the Crowdfunding Campaign
In July, Boho Arts received word from Newcastle City Council that £250,000 match funding was expected to be awarded in August.
Boho Arts’ Board agreed it was time to release the £44,000 raised through our 2023 crowdfunding campaign, and informed our donors of the news.
This allowed 'Stage 4' technical design work to begin, covering essential professional design team fees while the formal funding paperwork could be prepared between Newcastle City Council and North East Combined Authority.
It was a key bridge between funding approval and practical delivery - helping the project maintain momentum rather than wait months for agreements to be finalised.
May 2025
A Milestone Moment on Site
May was a milestone moment. With our original May 2022 planning permission close to expiry, we needed to make a “material start” on site - enough work to show the approved development had begun and keep the permission alive.
Eleven volunteers came together to begin the strip-back, while a professional firm demolished the dilapidated garage at the rear of the building. It was practical, exciting and emotional - a weekend when the project felt physically real for the first time, powered by the community behind it.
April 2025
Local Authority Backing Grows
North East Combined Authority published its Delegated Decision report, confirming its intention to increase Boho Arts’ capital award from £523,000 to £957,598. The award was conditional on Newcastle City Council approving £250,000 in match funding.
February 2025
Another Setback But Not the End
Representatives from Creative Central NCL and Arts Council England met with The National Lottery Community Fund to discuss how the £250,000 in match funding applied for would unlock the larger North East Combined Authority award.
Despite months of work developing the application, our second Lottery bid was unsuccessful. It was a major setback, but in an increasingly difficult and competive funding climate, there simply wasn’t enough funding to go around.
The project paused, regrouped, and kept going.
December 2024
We Got the Keys
Just before Christmas, Boho Arts signed a licence agreement with the landlord and got the keys to the building. This allowed us to hold onto the property, give the team easier access for surveys and technical work, and be ready to move quickly once funding was confirmed. Without this step, we could have lost the building before the project had the chance to happen.
It was also an opportunity to save some money on storage - getting all our donated goods out of storage where it had lived for almost 2 years and into the future hub where it will ultimately belong.
November 2024
A Revised Case for Support
Boho Arts and Creative Central NCL submitted a revised Business Case to North East Combined Authority, requesting an increased capital award of £957,598.
The revised case showed how Boho Hub could remain sustainable, create jobs, and deliver new services even through a phased approach - starting with less floor space while keeping the long-term vision alive.
This became a turning point in reshaping the project into a deliverable first phase.
September 2024
A Stronger Lease Offer
Boho Arts renegotiated the lease offer, extending the proposed term from 25 to 30 years and securing excellent terms for the project.
This strengthened the funding case by giving funders greater confidence in the long-term future of Boho Hub.
But time was running out. The landlord had been patient for a long time, and by this point it was clear that if we couldn’t commit by December, the building would go back on the market.
May / June 2024
A New Design Team
Creative Central NCL award £24,347 to support Stage 3 professional fees for design revisions and phasing of works.
Following a fresh procurement process, Napper Architects were appointed to lead a new professional design team. Their first task was to revise the Stage 3 drawings, working with the QS to test changes, reduce capital project costs, and develop a phased approach that could move Boho Hub towards delivery.
This work helped reshape the project from one big capital scheme into a more practical route forward.
April 2024
Big Blows and a Rethink
April brought a series of funding disappointments, with several applications rejected - including major bids to Arts Council England (£440,000) and The National Lottery Community Fund (£300,000).
But the £523,000 commitment from North East Combined Authority remained live, giving us the opportunity to pause, take stock, rebuild the project team, and make important decisions about phasing.
After meeting with The National Lottery Community Fund to review their decision, we were encouraged to work towards a second application later in the year.
This period was difficult, but it helped reshape the route forward.
March 2024
The First Big Yes
In March, news appeared in the local press that Boho Arts had been awarded £523,000 from North of Tyne Combined Authority - one of its final sign-offs before merging into the new North East Combined Authority.
Calls and messages of congratulations started arriving before we had even heard the news directly ourselves.
It was an exciting and confidence-boosting day - a moment that made us feel we were on the right track. We hoped more good news would follow soon, but April was to bring a series of funding disappointments.
October / November 2023
Major Applications Submitted
Stage 3 designs were completed and the capital project was costed at £1.69 million.
In a joint application with Creative Central NCL, Boho Arts submitted their business case to North of Tyne Combined Authority for £523,000. Boho submitted a 400-page application to Arts Council England’s final capital funding round for £440,000, and also a £350,000 ask to The National Lottery Community Fund
It was a huge undertaking with submissions that took 4 months to write - and a sign of just how ambitious the vision had become.
May / June 2023
The Project Grows
Due to the success of the crowdfunding campaign, Creative Central NCL awarded a further £10,000, building on its earlier £7,186 support, to help Boho Arts engage a professional design team and develop the plans to Stage 3.
As the design work progressed, it became clear that essential roof repairs would be needed before the improvements originally imagined through the crowdfunding campaign could take place.
At the same time, Arts Council England opened a new capital funding round. With the £44,000 crowdfunding total acting as potential match funding, Boho Arts submitted an ambitious first-stage application for £440,000 - a bold step that helped bring wider funder interest to the project.
The ACE capital programme was highly competitive, and we did not expect to progress to the next round - but unexpectedly, we did. From that point, the project entered a new phase, with the executive team working intensively on funding applications as the scale of the project grew.
March 2023
Crowdfund Success
After five months of fundraising, events, publicity and community support, in March 2023, Boho Arts raised £44,000 through its crowdfunding campaign and wider public donations to springboard the Hub project.
Over 300 people backed the vision - helping fund the first phase of improvements to the building and demonstrating that Newcastle wanted a permanent home for creativity, connection and community. When the Hub opens, our “Golden Wonderwall of Names” will celebrate everyone who contributed.
Local literary legend Ann Cleeves supported the project and presented a special fundraiser in the final month - drawing much attention in the press and reaching the wider public.
More than the money itself, the campaign provided something equally important: confidence. It showed future funders, partners and supporters that people believed in the idea and were willing to invest in it.
Without that success, we may never have had the confidence - or the evidence of public support - to keep going through political change, rising costs and repeated setbacks.
The backing of so many people has carried us through. We feel a deep responsibility to finish what we started: not to create a shiny building, but a comfortable, accessible, affordable and safe place where people can be creative, connect, and belong.
January 2023
The Big Creative Space Survey
The Big Creative Space Survey was a detailed consultation that Boho Arts commissioned in 2022 and published in 2023, combining quantitative data with rich personal stories and experiences from 404 people across Newcastle’s creative and cultural communities, and follow-up focus groups that helped us explore those themes in more depth. Those voices have shaped the project ever since - helping us design a creative hub rooted in real need, lived experience and community vision.
September 2022
Creative Central NCL Comes on Board
During 2022, Cultural and Creative Zones (CCZs) were emerging across the UK as a place-based approach to strengthening the cultural and creative sector, supporting local growth, sustainability and opportunity.
Newcastle’s Zone found Boho Arts’ proposed Hub situated within it. The alignment was clear: our vision for affordable, inclusive creative space directly supported the CCZ's ambition to grow a stronger, more connected creative community.
Managed by Newcastle City Council and funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority, the CCZ, later renamed Creative Central NCL, became a key strategic partner in the project.
In September 2022, they awarded Boho Arts £7,186 to support further consultancy, surveys and business planning. This helped us prepare the business model and work needed to progress Heads of Terms for the proposed 25-year lease.
February 2022
The First Vote of Confidence
Just three months after becoming a charitable organisation, Boho Arts received its first grant award - a £9,000 feasibility grant funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority through Creative UK. The grant supported early building surveys and around 10 months of research and development, including The Big Creative Space Survey.
Early 2022
Design and Planning
In the world of planning, buildings go through "Stages" of architectural designs. Boho Arts thankfully had the voluntary support of an architect who helped us reach "Stage 2" conceptual designs to apply for planning permission.
Planning Permission, and in our case, Change of Use from a former clothing warehouse to a cultural venue, was an essential first step, as, if it was declined, the very idea of the project could not proceed.
Planning Permission and Change of Use was granted 5 May 2022.
October 2021
Boho Arts is Born
On 28 October 2021, Boho Arts was incorporated as a charitable company, formally establishing the organisation and enabling our charitable mission to begin.
Like many organisations formed during and after the pandemic, registration delays at the Charity Commission meant we waited almost two years before becoming a registered charity in August 2023.
It was a modest beginning, but it marked the formal start of our mission.
Summer 2021
The Idea in the Garden
Covid times, and Boho Arts founders Bev Fox and Ian McLaughlin were chatting in the garden.
Like many people, they were re-evaluating what mattered and what might be possible when the city opened up again. Newcastle's artistic community been hit hard, not only by Covid, but by the loss of communal creative spaces being demolished in Newcastle. Despair was rife on social media amongst the community and they could tell a mass exodus of talent was brewing.
Their conversation moved into "What if?" solutions - "What if we found a building?"- "What if we formed a charity?"
They started exploring, asking questions and listening to what others were saying they needed, while visiting vacant properties masked-up, but nothing suitable appeared.
Then, by chance, after leaving the Leonardo Hotel - where they had delivered the School of Improv programme pre-Covid - through a different exit, they spotted the to-let sign on the building that would become Boho Hub. It wasn’t listed online.
The building had been shut for 10 years. It needed a lot of repair and a lot of love - but the location was perfect, the potential was clear, and they could see what it might become.
