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The Moles are Rising.

Mole | 24.10.2006 14:53 | Sheffield

Hello, the word has got out: The Moles are Rising.

You will no doubt know where we are planning to open the next space, please try to keep it word of mouth no text or email of the location, Babylon is watching did you not know. Putting it another way, watch what you watch, be careful what you hear.. from the excellent Hoodz Underground, raw Sheffield Hip Hop whom by the way never played Matilda but it we hope to have them on board with the new space.

Here are our collective thoughts on what we would like to see happen,,

Sheffield Welfare Action Network are people always in need of cash so with this in mind it would be kind of cool the let them use the space for a benefit gig and possibly if there is any cash raised further donate it to them goto to find out what SWAN is about.

At Matilda and on the list there was talk about Mapping Sheffield keeping a watch on this urban regeneration and our thoughts are that there are some good aspects to all this but then there are some fucking shit ones too.

In this weeks Sheffield Telegraph, more of an advert than an in depth article, there is a round up of what plans there are for more student accommodation.

During the summer we discovered the property speculation of Sheffield Uni and Crookesmoor House was taken to accommodate bicycology then we had ideas of going back to ground but shit never happens how you plan. We were evicted very swiftly like losing all our new tools bought from a kind donation and a lot of our padlocks, chains and locks.

Crookesmoor has been sold to Merlin Estates who plan to turn it into 20 luxury flats, turning out at half a million each, they're also selling much of Harcourt Road for Sheffield Uni with a restrictive covenant not to re use any the houses sold for future student accommodation. Alright all of this sounds good but hang on a moment re read this yes that's right they're making sure that they're the only ones dealing in Student Accommodation we know there has been a deal done with Unite (those boxes on London Road and other places) where you pay £75 a week to live in what they call a room, no bigger than an average prison cell, we joke not, we have been in London Road seen it for ourselves. Unite, Sheffield Uni and Hallam (those who bought Matilda, then sold it onto Yorkshire Forward) plan to create more of these student villages.

Alright agreed former student accommodation on Harcourt Road need to go back to homes and here is our deal on this Shefffield Uni and Hallam should be made to give all their former accommodation over to a housing association then re let to people on low income, this then freeing single person accommodation for single people. Such a move would not be an instant cure for homelessness, indeed it is part of the order to have people homeless - it keeps many of us in line, unless you squat the empties.

We have been working with Sheffield Green party on what is called the Masterplan for Sheffield there is an offer there to do some workshops on this.

0742 we know would like to talk about being homeless, the implications for himself and the wider community of his friends, etc. and share his 25 years of being an active Squatter sometimes for need other times to help others.

We know Go would love to talk about the Cooling Towers the plans to demolish them this then brings in The No M1 widening group who we feel would like to do a workshop.

Of course SWAN would like to do a workshop on what is happening to the benefits system.


The police have been going rather over the fucking top again in Burngreave this fits in with ID cards, ASBO orders, Injunctions... the ever creeping authoritarian state, an other idea for a workshop we suspect?

Did you know Sheffield City Council have four no-longer secret offices where the omnipresent state decide who is given and who is not given social housing? one of them called Newbank House and this is where all this grows from plans for an action on Newbank House was Talked about at length along with another idea for action but we all got to think how about opening a new space? Planning a two week program of events? You will have read this call out then thought yes i'd like some of this we hope to see at the meeting this wed 25 7pm upstairs at The Rutland and each week following.

There will no doubt be other thoughts and ideas, all this is just food for thought from those who kicked off the idea, now over to you.

We have a space already taken ready for occupation and two places for a back up if we lose the first one all are within the city centre, easy access for disabled people we plan for the space to run for two weeks and anything following will be an extra.

Well you have got the idea we hope see at the meetings over the next few weeks now lets make this happen.

Mole