A LISTED canalside warehouse that was most recently used as a gym is being transformed into workshops for local artists and craft businesses.

The former Workouts on the Leeds Liverpool Canal in Shipley has stood empty since the gym suddenly shut in late 2018.

But it will soon re-open as Wharf Street Studios, a creative space where artists from Saltaire, Shipley and beyond can use as a base for their work.

James Whittam, who lives in Nab Wood, had been searching for a new base for his bespoke furniture making business when he came across the three storey building on Wharf Street, which is owned by the Canal and Rivers Trust.

He decided to take on the property and divide it into space for his business, as well as numerous other small businesses and artists in the area that struggle to find space.

Late last year he was granted planning permission to change the use of the building and make internal alterations, and in recent weeks he has been preparing the building to start welcoming new tennants - which could be as early as next month.

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He said: “I design and make furniture and I’ve been looking for about two years for somewhere to do my work since I moved back from London.”

He said he had tried looking for space in Leeds, but was put off by the high costs of any workshop space there.

Mr Whittam added: “I’d been speaking to various businesses in Saltaire who said they would like to rent space. We want this to be a creative space for creatives. It will give them the chance to be around other creatives and collaborate with them.”

However, these plans all began before the Covid 19 pandemic, which delayed the work. Although some of the other businesses he had spoken to have move on now, he is hopeful that there is still considerable demand for such space in the area - particularly due to the limited opportunities to create new business space in the World Heritage Site of Saltaire.

The new centre will also include a cafe in the reception area, which will make the most of the popularity of that stretch of the canal with walkers and cyclists.

Preparing the building has been a huge undertaking. Although much of the equipment was removed when the gym vacated the building, Mr Whittam has had to remove eight, eight tonne skips' worth of materials from the building, including the showers and changing room fittings.

The building does retain a number of impressive period features, including the machinery that would have been used to operate the crane that lowered goods onto canal barges.