A new live music venue could be opened in Fenton if a recording and rehearsal studio's plans hit the right note with Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Riff Factory has been offering local musicians space to practice and record for more than a decade.

Now it hopes to turn unused ground floor space at its Sutherland Street space into a performance area for acts to play gigs for music fans. A change of use application has been submitted to the city council, proposing a 70-person capacity venue in former garage repair workshop and storage space at the southern end of Watling House.

A supporting statement from Riff Factory submitted as part of the application said: "Since Tom and Ant went into business in 2013, we've welcomed bands for nearly 12,000 rehearsal sessions and more than 1,200 recording sessions. We see ourselves as a community hub for bands and artists, offering opportunities for networking, collaborating, and gig-swapping.

"We now want to take the next logical step in our journey and open a music venue in an available space on the ground floor of the building we currently occupy. We believe there's a strong business case for doing this on-site, as opposed to finding a vacant premises in the city centre.

The venue has been offering local musicians space to practice and record for more than a decade (Google).

"Our business model focuses on growth for local artists. The opportunity for nurturing bands and artists as they progress from rehearsal to recording to live performance will be greatly enhanced by having our own venue.

"This is a vital part of our USP (unique selling point), as is our proposed venue's target capacity of 70 persons. The evolution of Riff Factory will bridge the gap between smaller, 40 capacity venues, such as Captain's Bar in Hanley, and larger venues The Underground and The Sugarmill (280 and 450 capacity respectively).

"What's more, Riff Factory will draw smaller touring bands to the city. These bands often play to rooms of 50 or so people in the bigger local venues, and this often causes the venues to run at a loss – hence why smaller touring bands often bypass our city.

"We can alleviate the pressure from our pinnacle music venues and allow them to focus on hosting the shows that are worth hosting for them. Lee Barber (Hive / The Underground, Hanley) and Taz Harrison (The Sugarmill, Hanley) both endorse our proposals."

------------

READ MORE: Man arrested after woman dies in road traffic collision in Newcastle

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.