The campaign to re-open the much-loved Square Chapel Arts centre in Halifax continued this weekend with a lantern procession through the city on Saturday (28 February). Campaigners are calling on Arts Council England (ACE) to take control of the venue which has been closed for over a year.
Equity and campaigners from Save Square Chapel for the People held a lively demo on the main streets of Halifax and through the Piece Hall before culminating in a rally in front of the abandoned building. Speakers at the rally included Calderdale Trades Council chair Dan Whittall, Equity member Pete Keal, and Equity official Dominic Bascombe, as well as former volunteers from the shut venue.
Last November an Equity petition of over three thousand signatures to save the venue was delivered to ACE who currently holds a charge on the property and are being asked to decide about the operation of the venue. A number of local arts organisations have expressed an interest in taking over the running of the venue but the decision on how the venue is run is down to ACE and the local Calderdale Council.
Dominic Bascombe, Equity Regional Official for North East, Yorkshire and Humber, said:
“The community in Halifax and the wider Calderdale Valley continue to show how much they love Square Chapel. The attendees on the lantern procession were all deeply committed that action must be taken to re-open this venue.
“We are calling on Arts Council England to get Square Chapel reopened and operating to the benefit of this community.”
About Square Chapel
Square Chapel is a popular arts centre with good community links and outreach prior to becoming insolvent during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Extensive building works took place to create a second performance space and other facilities at Square Chapel with the new centre opening in June 2017.
In September 2020, the venue was reopened when it was taken over by Wigan-based Arts at the Mill. Square Chapel CIC was subsequently established.
In early February 2025, Square Chapel CIC announced the arts centre was closing and all future events were cancelled. Months later, this valuable community asset remains closed and not serving the people of Halifax. Arts Council England (ACE) has now withdrawn its funding from Square Chapel. The Square Chapel building is currently being rented out to provide dressing rooms during the Piece Hall concert season.
As ACE has affirmed in their response to Equity, it “no longer has a funding relationship with Square Chapel CIC. We do, however, maintain an interest in the building, due to a charge relating to our previous capital award which restricts the building’s use.”
There is also a requirement by Calderdale Council that the building is used for cultural purposes.
