Music & Arts Production (MAP) Charity, a Leeds-based non-profit organisation, is under threat.
Leeds City Council is currently considering a planning permission application from global investment fund Cheyne Capital which would see 310 flats built adjacent to Hope House, the Grade II-listed building that houses the charity which offers “vital, empowering music and arts qualifications” to young people who are unable to access the mainstream school system.
Under the current proposals, many of these new flats would have balconies overlooking Hope House’s outdoor courtyard area, which not only provides “vital access” for young people who use MAP’s services but also acts as an event space for Cosmic Slop, the charity’s regular in-house fundraising event.
Roughly a quarter of MAP’s funding comes from Cosmic Slop, which is also a hugely popular club night within Leeds that has played host to the likes of Four Tet and Floating Points.
It’s possible the new flats could put an end to MAP and Cosmic Slop, given that new residents could file noise complaints during Cosmic Slop events.
“If the planning permission goes through in its current state, the potential for noise complaints from new residents could cut off MAP Charity’s main fundraising source,” the Cosmic Slop team explained in an Instagram post.
“The courtyard area is an essential part of the site,” MAP director Tom Smith told Resident Advisor. “It provides access to events and education, as well as being the only outdoor space available to all users – there’s nowhere else to go.”
Many have also voiced their concern at the prospect of yet another treasured bastion of the Leeds nightlife scene being closed down, after clubs like Wire and Sheaf Street both permanently shut their doors within the last 12 months.
“This is happening far too much these days. Where’s the consideration for arts, culture and celebration with councils – especially Leeds City Council,” one Instagram user commented on Cosmic Slop’s Instagram post. “There’s not many spaces in Leeds left as it is, let alone losing one of the best still standing.”
Leeds City Council will make a decision on the planning permission application next month.
In the meantime, a petition has been launched with the aim of supporting MAP and Cosmic Slop. “We want people to sign this petition [to show] what MAP and Cosmic Slop means to them, and why it would be a tragedy to prioritise balconies for luxury flats over such a key piece of Leeds’ cultural and creative scene,” the petition description reads.
