Save Ashwin Street

A black and white photograph of a group of people standing and sitting in front of a building, with a large red overlay text that reads, 'HELP SAVE OUR STREET,' covering the photo. The background shows part of a sign saying 'THE PR... HOUSE.'

In early 2025, V22, one of our founders faced eviction from their home of 20 years at 10 -16 Ashwin Street. Hackney Borough Council decided that the V22 Studios were unsafe, and planned to put it on the open market for redevelopment with several other Ashwin Street sites. This put the 39 artists in the building at risk, and would disrupt the wider community of unique businesses that call this corner of Dalston home.

The resulting Save Ashwin Street Campaign gained national and local attention. The campaign culminated in a day of events supported by V22, Cafe OTO, Bootstrap, Dalston Curve Garden, Cernamic, Sistah Space, and The Dusty Knuckle to raise local awareness. We asked the public to send letters to Hackney Mayor Caroline Woodley urging the Council to sell the building to V22 to secure its future as an affordable creative hub. After extending the deadline for eviction Hackney Borough Council agreed to sell the building to V22.

The Dalston Cultural Quarter was formed to maintain and grow the arts, culture, communities, and green spaces at the heart of Dalston by retaining and securing vital local spaces for community and cultural use.