The TAAG Rebuild Project

When TAAG was purchased for the community from the Council in October 2020 the building was in poor condition. The Trustees carried out a full assessment (previously impossible to do as we had only been renting on a month by month basis) and made plans to refurbish the building in a number of phases:

Phase 1 was to rebuild the ground floor and reopen as soon as possible so that the local community could resume their activities. Unfortunately COVID and successive lockdowns struck, leading to all sorts of problems in getting anything done in the building. Fortunately, in 2021 and 2022 we had the use of the Beachcomber on the seafront to run exhibitions and some workshops but we could not run a full programme. At the end of 2022 we had the required planning permission and were at last able to get the substantial works underway.

It took six months, but finally in July 2023 we were able to reopen with a modern and flexible gallery & workshop space where we could resume arts and other community activities. We are very grateful to everyone who contributed to this, either by donations or other assistance.

Phase 2 was the replacement of the building roof and related works, which took place from November 2023 to March 2024.

This was a major piece of work with an associated major cost - almost £300,000. We secured some grant assistance and some very kind donor contributions, but still had to take a small loan to finance all the reroofing work.

Phase 3 comprises a number of improvements and construction: Work on the TAAG frontage, first floor electrics & plumbing, fire & alarms, ground floor corridor construction, and the creation of a large first floor workshop. This work is taking place January/February 2026. We have been gifted £200k but to complete all the planned work will require further funds - So please donate to support this phase of our our rebuilding work - You can do this directly - and if you pay tax we can, with your consent, claim 25% extra giftaid.

Phases 4 & 5 will include installation of an accessible lift (a priority, with a cost of £30k), and the construction of artist studios. These will provide a steady income stream which will help to ensure the sustainability of TAAG into the future for Teignmouth. The total cost of these final works will be in the region of £100k. We are actively seeking grant funding and assistance from donors to make it happen.