Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, is warning that Halifax's Square Chapel Arts Centre is at risk of failing again unless there is a clear commitment to public investment and local involvement in deciding its future.
The Grade II listed venue, closed to the public since February 2025, has been put up for sale by a Receiver appointed by Arts Council England. The warning comes ahead of the AGM of the local Save Square Chapel Campaign Group on Thursday 24 September, with Arts Council England invited to attend.
In July, Arts Council England said it was placing the building in the custody of the Official Receiver with a view to returning it to community cultural use. A for-sale notice followed in August, but Equity says it remains unclear how much support a new operator would receive from the Arts Council, Calderdale Council or the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Bascombe: 'A clear commitment to public investment'
Dominic Bascombe, Equity official for North East, Yorkshire and Humber, said the sale is moving quickly and that funding certainty is essential if a new Square Chapel is to succeed.
"With the sale of Square Chapel moving at speed, it is vital that there is a clear commitment to public investment from the Arts Council, Calderdale Council, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to ensure that this iteration of Square Chapel can succeed.
"We know how much this venue is loved by the local community, as evidenced by the continued support that has been shown. The local community should have a say in the selection of a new owner and operator alongside them being given the funding they need to succeed."
Keal: 'Cannot afford a repeat'
Pete Keal of the Save Square Chapel Campaign group said Arts Council England's commitment so far does not guarantee the venue will reopen as an arts centre.
"To succeed, a new operator will need support from the community, and we therefore call for the people of Halifax and the wider area to be fully consulted over who should take over the running of the centre.
"We cannot afford a repeat of the disastrous record of the last owners. While a new operator should have a robust business plan, Square Chapel Arts Centre will need adequate public investment to thrive in the future."
Equity and local activists have campaigned for more than a year to bring the building back into community use, including a lantern procession through Halifax in February 2026 and a petition that gathered more than 3,000 signatures. A public meeting last year drew more than a hundred people. Several local arts organisations are understood to have expressed interest in running the venue.
