For the benefit of the Environment.
In this current economic crisis, our neighbourhoods are losing out. Small business is often the first. This has seen a current trend of shops and offices in our High Street closing down, being boarded over and left, with no immediate solution for future occupancy as enterprise takes a cautious step forward.
Vacated buildings are crying out to be occupied with legitimate business. Boarded up, ignored premises immediately attract vermin. Then opportunists take advatage, vandalising empty premises for anything of worth, fixtures, fittings, copper piping, electric wiring. Once open access has been determined, these premises become welcome shelters for the homeless, despite the waste and debris of vandalsim, despite the disease of pests, pigeons and rats. These spaces encourage drug abuse, fly-tipping, unwanted grafitti. Eventually they start to rot as the damp sets in and nature begins to claim back.
In turn the neighbourhood goes into decline and the community suffers further, and there seems to be little escape, this process has been documented for many a decade.
TAO have well established the work it does in targeting such properties for community access, linking with artists and volunteers to stop the rot and repair the damage, keep the space safe and clean and in turn generate use and a need once again, inspiring the footfall to return and with it enterprising and new business, returning our environment to an acceptable state.
TAO do not expect authorities to do it all and challenge them to help us achieve our goals of empowered creativity, to achieve a socially acceptable environment, for the benefit of creatives, education and the community.