Artists' studios to open at St George’s Circus

Artists Studio Company (ASC) aims to support artists by providing them with affordable workspaces and plans to open in Erlang House on 1 April. The organisation currently maintains studios at Octavia House in Union Street and in Glasshill Street. The new site will bring their total number of workspaces in SE1 to over 200.

"There is big demand in the area for workspaces due to the central location and the other sites are going great," said Julia Rees, artist liaison for ASC.

"We plan to also open a gallery and education resource centre and hopefully we will appoint an education officer who will put together a programme."

ASC said the occupancy rate of the new site is over 50 per cent and it is the second new studio complex to open in the area this year. Southwark Studios opened its doors last month with 46 workspaces on Crimscott Street, while Bow Arts Trust plans to open 50 to 100 workspaces on the same street by June.

Erlang House – previously a BT office building – was until recently the home of London South Bank University's Faculty of Health and Social Care. The faculty moved out in December last year to its new state-of-the-art building on Keyworth Street.