Places and Spaces for the Community
Coalville Market
Having been closed for 2 years, Coalville Market has been put up for sale and bidders have had to move quickly. Coalville CAN, with partners, have put in a bid for community ownership to create a welcoming, safe, accessible, professionally run venue for everyone to enjoy.
This is by no mean guaranteed. Others may have put forward different ideas, our plans may be turned down or decisions could be put off.
Hopefully our ideas will be given a chance.
We've gotten over 350 responses to our Community Survey - see the results here.
Fancy ice-skating in Coalville this Christmas?
Want to have the latest blockbuster films on your doorstep?
Want to have clubs for parkour? Bouldering? Soft play?
A home for a Coalville Community Workshop and Tool Library?
North West Leicestershire Council own the market so will decide what happens next.
And what's more, CCAN's profit are all reinvested and recirculated back into the local area!
A win-win for everyone. The town attracts more people, encouraging people to spend more time and money here, creating new jobs and attracting others to start up.
Says Deana from CCAN, "Coalville market hall is unique building with masses of potential. The scale and space it offers in the heart of Coalville could enable a whole range of community activities from indoor dog events to ice rinks to a cinema and Bouldering venue. We know it can be delivered and we know how! We hope the Council like our proposal and join us in helping to regenerate the town."
CAN HQ
CAN HQ is our office and creative hub, located in the centre of Coalville, on Memorial Square. Our creative hub is open to visitors from 10am to 4pm on the ground floor, Thursday to Saturday. It hosts MAKERS, our shop stocked by local artists, creatives, and other small businesses. We also host a gallery, workshop space, and more.
We are developing the use of the first floor, creating a community STEM hub, supporting education and enterprise locally. The second floor is rented out as office space to a variety of local businesses.
In June 2023, we'll be looking to purchase the building and secure it for community ownership. Stay tuned for further information coming soon.
Co-op Department Store
The Co-operative store on Belvoir Road used to be a key asset to the community, but the building has been left unused for many years, even with it's key location on a main road in Coalville, and next to Marlborough Square.
This building is another in Coalville that we are looking to take into community ownership, preserving the history of the buildings and it's co-operative culture.
Our current plans include preserving the retail space, including working with local, smaller businesses. We're also exploring the potential of affordable housing in the upper floors.
However, none of this is set in stone, and before the project to purchase the building takes place, we'll be holding several community consultation opportunities, so you can suggest what you'd like to see the space used for.
Memorial Workspace
A hidden potential gem on Mosely Road is the soon to be Memorial Workspace. This building of interest in the Conservation Area is being renovated by North West Leicestershire District Council and is CCAN's next door neighbour. The plans are to keep some of the original 1928 features as the building is brought back to use as office space. CCAN is pleased to be working with NWLDC on this project, funded by the UK Shared Properity Fund.
Dame Judi Dench sends her love
STUDENTS EXPLORE
Students taking part in this year’s Coalville Theatre
Festival recently visited Snibston Colliery to explore Coalville’s rich mining heritage and gather inspiration for site-specific performance work. The visit gave students the opportunity to learn more about the role of the miner and the lived experiences of those who worked at the colliery, while engaging directly with the buildings, grounds and atmosphere of this significant heritage site. Being on location encouraged students to consider how history, place and memory can be brought to life through performance. During the visit, students also explored potential performance locations on the site. The space will help shape a student-devised, site-specific performances to be presented as part of the Coalville Theatre festival, offering audiences new ways to experience familiar places.
The visit forms part of a wider creative programme inspired by Gary Clarke Company’s dance theatre work Coal, supporting young people to respond creatively to Coalville’s industrial past.
PALITOY WORKERS
Calling all workers who worked at Coalville’s Palitoy factory! Local playwright Ben Weatherill and a team of actors are creating a new play inspired by your experiences — and we want your memories, laughter, and voices to help shape it. We’re inviting you to a friendly, informal gathering where you can reminisce about daily life at the factory, friendships, challenges, and proud moments. Your stories will be recorded and may even be heard in the play, giving your real voice a central role on stage.
