Of the 5,200 rental spaces The Arch Company purchased from Network Rail in 2019, only 3,800 were occupied, with 1,400 vacant. Hundreds of these empty spaces were derelict and in need of significant investment before they could be occupied.
Project 1000 is our plan to invest £200 million to bring a thousand empty and derelict spaces into use by 2030. Our ambition is that Project 1000 will create space for 1,000 businesses, supporting approximately 5,000 jobs and adding to the estimated 25,000 people already employed in arch businesses.
The Project 1000 development programme spans England and Wales, including major works in London, Manchester, Windsor, and Leeds. Once these arches are fit for purpose, they will become new spaces within which businesses can thrive, bringing jobs and positive change to local communities.