Bow Arts Trust secures permanent home at Three Waters

Located where the three waters of Bow Creek, the River Lea and Limehouse Cut meet at Bow Lock, Three Waters is a 327-home scheme developed by an innovative joint venture of London housing specialist Mount Anvil and housing association Peabody.

Taking 26,000 sq ft at ground floor and mezzanine level, Bow Arts Trust has signed a deal with Mount Anvil and Peabody for all the commercial space on a 999 year lease – ensuring that affordable workspace is available for Tower Hamlets’ young, diverse and creative community in perpetuity.

The new lease cements a strong and ongoing relationship between Peabody and Bow Arts, which began in Thamesmead in 2017 when Peabody granted the charity a 30-year lease of the iconic Lakeside Centre in South Thamesmead. Following refurbishment by Bow Arts, the building is now home for 35 affordable studios, as well as other community facilities, bringing a new creative community of artists to live and work in the town.

For Mount Anvil, the deal represents a first marker as part of its new commercial placemaking strategy, where the London-specialist developer is prioritising partnering with organisations that generate social value for their residents, above and beyond straight commercial returns.

Since 1994, Bow Arts Trust has been supporting London's diverse creativity and talent. From studios to its work in schools, it creates spaces where artists and communities can grow, learn and feel inspired.

The permanent home at Three Waters will allow Bow Arts Trust to provide around 70 affordable studio spaces for local artists to fulfil their creative endeavours alongside educational services and inward investment into the local community.

Bow Arts Trust will also host a suite of arts programmes and exhibitions open to visitors and residents, bringing world class artists to the area continuing their 27 years of making creative activity sustainable, creating opportunities to work, learn and enjoy the arts in Bow and across London.

The centre is expected to open by the end of 2022.

Three Waters provides 327 homes, a mixture of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. 123 of the homes were created for either shared ownership or affordable rent, while 204 were for open market sale, but each home has access to the same amenities and communal spaces, including a raised garden and roof terrace.

Marcel Batteig, CEO of Bow Arts said: ""Affordability and sustainability are at the heart of Bow Arts and buying this building gives us a permanent home in east London. It also creates permanent affordable space for artists which means that they will be more creative, more experimental and have more impact, creating inspirational environments where artists and communities can interact, learn and grow together for generations to come.”

James McMylor, Regional Managing Director of Development, Peabody said: “We are delighted to welcome Bow Arts to Three Waters. At Peabody we are always keen to support the creative industry, and these affordable studios will give local artists a home in which to flourish, while continuing to bring much-valued arts and culture to the community. Our collaborative approach with Mount Anvil means we can deliver not only much needed new homes but provide spaces the community can make their own for creative and artistic endeavours. We have already seen what can be achieved as a result of our partnership at the Lakeside Centre in Thamesmead, which has brought a new creative community to town. I am very much looking forward to the opening of the centre later in the year.”

Marcus Bate, Partnerships and Communities Director at Mount Anvil, said: “At Three Waters we have been working hard with our friends at Peabody to create a vibrant neighbourhood that supports the local community in East London, all very much a part of our recently adopted commercial placemaking strategy. We’re delighted to be providing Bow Arts with a high quality and modern space that will guarantee affordable studios for creatives for many years to come. We can’t wait for Three Waters residents to experience art programmes and exhibitions right on their doorstep.” 

More information about Bow Arts Trust can be found here: https://bowarts.org/