The sounds of the suburbs have unveiled plans for a new John Peel Centre for Creative Arts to be built in the Yorkshire city of Bradford, with the aim of housing a museum dedicated to the music scene in the North, a listening room where people will be able to access the digitised archive of John Peel’s record collection and a focal point for major upcoming acts.
The group are hoping to renovate Bradford city centre’s Odeon building for their new home, which has been unused since being closed as a functioning cinema complex over a decade ago. The plans have already received the backing of BBC radio’s Mark Radcliffe and John Peel’s widow Sheila Ravenscroft. The scheme has been inspired by the original John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket, of which more information can be found at johnpeelcentreforcreativearts.co.uk.
“To have such a centre, located next to the National Media Museum and overlooking the new City Park, would put Bradford right at the heart of the cultural map of the North of England,” the group behind the project have said. “We anticipate huge numbers of visitors from all over the world, providing a massive financial boost to the region, and kick starting the regeneration of the whole city centre.”
“John Peel had many links to the city, not least as the place where he met his wife, who lived in Saltaire at that time, at a gig in the University of Bradford. He made several TV shows about the underground music scene here and was an early attendee of the city’s 1 in 12 Club, where he would come to seek out new talent.”
“He is also an honorary graduate of the University. Through this project we hope to celebrate the independence, diversity and creativity of the city, and of the North as a whole – values that will always be associated with John Peel.”
More information on the scheme can be found at johnpeelnorth.org.