CREATIVE HUB: WORKING WITH LOCAL

The Bolsover Creative Hub is an ambitious cultural regeneration project to create a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable hub for creativity, enterprise, and community in the heart of Bolsover town centre.

This work builds on the recommendation in the 2024 feasibility study to purchase the former Co-op site and reimagine it as a creative and cultural anchor for the district. Since then, Local Creative Project Ltd has worked alongside Dragonfly, Bolsover District Council, Bauman Lyons Architects and cultural partners to develop the concept further.

We’ve supported the establishment of the Culture & Place Group, mapped strategic alignment with the wider Bolsover Priority Place programme, and co-produced an emerging vision that aligns with the ambitions of the Bolsover Place Partnership and Culture & Place Group.

This early phase of the Hub’s development is being co-produced with key partners and stakeholders - before engaging the wider community, to ensure the vision is robust, viable, and meaningful to the cultural ecology of Bolsover.

Dr Claire Tymon tells us more: "Local is a creative practice specialising in place-based community engagement and cultural programming. We engage communities through art, research, and creative action, supporting them to create positive change right on their doorsteps. We celebrate what makes a place unique while introducing fresh perspectives to shape spaces that are more connected, relevant, and sustainable. We’re delighted to be involved in shaping the next chapter of the Bolsover Creative Hub - and proud to continue working with the brilliant teams in Bolsover on this exciting journey.

Following our initial scoping report last year - which recommended the purchase of the former Co-op site as an ambitious, central hub - we’ve since worked closely with Dragonfly, Bolsover District Council, and cultural partners to develop the district’s Priority Place plans, map strategic opportunities, and help establish the Culture & Place Steering Group. This group is already nurturing and steering Bolsover’s rich and growing cultural ecology.

We’re thrilled to now move forward with the vision for the Creative Hub, and even more excited to have appointed Bauman Lyons Architects to join the team. We’ve long admired their thoughtful, people-centred work - especially their role in delivering Derby’s award-winning Museum of Making - and can’t wait to see what we can create together here in Bolsover.

This is about more than a building - it’s about enabling local artists, makers, young people, and creative entrepreneurs to thrive and enabling art, culture and creativity become a cornerstone of Bolsover’s regeneration.

This is a massive achievement for our small, independent, Derbyshire-based creative placemaking practice. We’re so proud to have this in our portfolio — building on 20+ years of experience working collaboratively with local communities and partners to develop ambitious visions while taking much-needed baby steps to ensure we bring people with us, delivering action-research and interim projects to refine ideas and solutions along the way."

Find out more about Local's previous projects:

Our Work