From: ne991ta@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 12:09:21 -0000 / Tue, 24 Oct 2000 11:43:10 -0000
Reply-To: act-locally-owner@egroups.com
Subject: [act-locally] Eclectic City
URL: http://www.sandyford.techie.org.uk/think_index99.htm

Eclectic City - October 2000 Events

Eclectic City is a temporary autonomous zone at 109 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

Wed 25 Oct
Acoustic music from 8pm with Paul Fischer, H T Virgo and Neville Clay (tbc)

Fri 27 Oct
Live music in the basement from 8pm with Orrin De Forest, Milky Wimpshake and another band

Sat 28 Oct
Dub night with DJ Dub John

Each of these events will be preceeded by the Mushy Peace Kitchen offering tea, coffee, hot and cold food, between 5 and 8pm. All welcome.

SEE YOU THERE?

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Eclectic City - background info

As a demonstration of what can be done with empty buildings, Eclectic City are squatting a building in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. The owners want to knock it down and build another flash bar/restaurant/cinema multiplex.

Visitors are really welcome to come along, especially tonight (18 October) when there is a Café and music on. The building is 109 Pilgrim Street, which is just down the hill from the Fire Station.

The pager number there is: 04325 130429

It really is worth a look.

For background info, see what the Journal reported about it yesterday:

BIG BUSINESS TAKING OVER CITY CENTRE, SAY SQUATTERS

Protesters have taken over a building at the centre of a planned £60m leisure complex. The building in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, which has been empty since being vacated by the Children's Warehouse recycling body two years ago, is due to be demolished as part of developer J J Gallagher's Electric City leisure scheme.

Protesters who have seized the building say the action is to highlight the way they feel many people are being squeezed out of a city centre increasingly dominated by expensive leisure developments like "style bars" and multiplex cinema plans.

"We are witnessing a corporate takeover of the city centre by big companies which can afford to develop buildings and sites," said a member of the group, Newcastle University lecturer Paul Chatterton. "Big business is dictating what happens in city centres and are concentrating on quick profit schemes such as bars, chain pubs, multiplexes and casinos."

Mr Chatterton said this was leading to a lack of variety in the city centre with no space allocated to smaller groups, interests and activities. "Such a lack of diversity could hinder Newcastle and Gateshead's bid for the Capital of Culture title in 2008", he added. "We will stay until we are served with a warrant," he said.

Kevan Jones, city council cabinet member for development, said: "Newcastle is a regional capital and it has to provide these sort of leisure facilities and if it means jobs and investment I make no apologies for that."

Paul Cross, managing director of JJ Gallagher, said: "We will work with the owners to secure an eviction."


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