Ambitious plans for a creative hub in Peckham built by Grammy Award-winning music producer and songwriter Mura Masa have been submitted to Southwark Council.

The Peckham-based musician said the studio will be a “talk-of-the-town Warhol-esque Factory space, hosting a slew of south London and Peckham-local creatives, as well as musicians and artists of international acclaim.” 

Masa, 26, whose real name is Alexander Crossan, was born in Guernsey but is based in south London. His best-known song Lovesick reached number one on the charts in both the UK and the USA in 2017 and he won a Grammy for his remix of Haim’s Walking Away. He has worked with many artists including A$AP Rocky, Damon Albarn and Charli XCX. 

The plans for the studio were submitted by architecture firm Knox Bhavan in late November. The studio, to be built at 22 Nazareth Gardens, will retain the steel frame and brickwork of the site’s existing building. The Council is expected to make a decision in the next few months.

The musician told Architects’ Journal that he wants to reserve a production room on a monthly or bi-monthly “residency” basis, free of charge, for “a Peckham creative or musician”. He added: “This keeps the building and the occupants constantly in dialogue with the local scene and provides a valuable opportunity for the studio spaces to be used by people who can’t necessarily afford the often-heavy cost associated with renting an environment for creative work.”

Crossan moved to Peckham in 2016 after a short time in Brighton. In 2017 he did a pop-up at Copeland Gallery in Peckham to celebrate the release of his fourth album. 

“It also allows an opportunity for lesser-known or developing artists and creatives to be in direct social contact with more established characters, creating endless possibility for authentic collaboration and coalescence between newer and more experienced creatives,” said Crossan.