Where

Thames Gateway South Essex (TGSE), East of England

What

In 2006, Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership (TGSEP) commissioned Tom Fleming of Creative Consultancy and Noema Research and Planning to produce a Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit for the sub-region. This resulted in the report 'Creating Cultural Opportunities: a methodology for strengthening cultural infrastructure development in Thames Gateway South Essex'.

The project was the first pilot for the living places programme. It set out to provide guidelines for cultural planners and those responsible for delivering growth in the Thames Gateway South Essex. The guidelines help make the most of culture's positive contribution to place-making and include a supplementary planning document for cultural infrastructure (incorporating a strategic planning tariff for developer contributions to culture).

Why

The sub-regional context
According to population estimates in 2006, 647,100 people lived in 284,198 dwellings in the sub-region (Office for National Statistics). By 2021, 44,300 new homes (new figure for total area) should be built in Thames Gateway South Essex with around 55,000 new jobs.

Thames Gateway South Essex is at the forefront of regeneration and development agendas for policy makers at both a regional and national level. The Thames Gateway Interim Plan, launched by DCLG in November 2006, provides the overall strategic framework for the TGSE sub-region, setting out the eight key opportunities and challenges.

Key issues faced include:

• There is an existing lack of cultural provision in TGSE.  With an increasing population, there needs to be significant progress in delivering culture if there is to be enough cultural provision to maintain existing levels of services.
• The area is close to London but its cultural provision needs to contribute to local place-shaping and developing strong communities. Getting people to take part, and be interested in, regional-level facilities, is also a priority.
• There is no dominant urban centre in TGSE. This means that cultural facilities need to be provided in more than one centre but they also need to join up and complement one another.
• Different local authorities and partners in TGSE treat culture in different ways. This presents a challenge to TGSEP and regional partners who have to coordinate their approach whilst prioritising major developments in strategic locations which they have defined together. An example of this is the Royal Opera House Production Campus in Purfleet, Thurrock.

When

The initial report was completed over an 8-month period in 2007. Following this, partners at TGSE have been developing the work alongside other stakeholders at local, sub-regional and regional level. This includes commissioning a strategic framework for culture and an action plan for the TGSE area.

Who leads and runs the project

The organisations involved in the project were Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, the five local authorities of TGSE, Essex County Council, Thurrock Urban Development Corporation, ACE East, EEDA, MLA, Screen East, Sport England East, Sport Essex, University of Essex and Living East.

Each has contributed to the project and worked together to establish the Cultural Commission. The Commission's purpose is “establishing strategic cultural leadership for the Quality of Life Board on behalf of TGSEP to support development of cultural infrastructure, linking where appropriate to economic development, regeneration and community sustainability”.

How the project is developing

Short Term
One of the first tasks was to develop the TGSE Cultural Commission and define its purpose. It had to fit with living places priorities and include a clear vision for delivery of culture and sport.

The organisations identified key partners and the support required. They built effective partnerships with commitment to the overall objectives of the TGSE Cultural Commission and set strategic objectives for culture across the sub-region.
This included reviewing the cultural co-ordinator post in Milton Keynes and South Midlands and how the TGSE could learn from this experience.
 
Another early task was to plan how to measure cultural and sporting opportunities according to recommendations in the Local Government Association improvement strategy, A Passion for Excellence. Measures for overall participation and participation among target groups could be basic requirements.

Models for joint service provision and management were also considered.

Medium term
In the medium term, the project sets out to influence policy and include planning for cultural infrastructure in the planning process at a sub-regional level. It will define the cultural needs of communities of differing sizes and facilities, sites and locations. It also analyses cultural needs, opportunities and development standards (both quantitative and qualitative).

Work also includes developing a supplementary planning document (SPD) to raise funds for cultural infrastructure across the TGSE. The SPD includes a strategic planning tariff for developer contributions to culture. This will support the costs of new and better cultural facilities in new developments and regeneration schemes. Another task is to review and monitor the take-up of resources.
 
Lessons learnt so far
The Creating Cultural Opportunities research programme has identified the following five issues which are essential for ensuring that culture is at the heart of planning, place-shaping and economic development:

Cultural infrastructure:  This is important because cultural institutions and activities improve the sense of well-being within communities and the image of places. A lively cultural scene is a key factor in people's decision to relocate to places, to stay in places, and to actively seek connection to other people.

Strategies that support arts and cultural infrastructure to develop sustainably (by integrating them into the rest of the economy) are at the core of making places more competitive and communities more confident.

Cultural facilities and activities are invaluable in encouraging participation, a sense of identity and place and a feeling of belonging to a dynamic and viable community.

Economic development and skills: Culture has a strategic role to play in supporting the growth and development of the creative industries, as well supporting other sectors such as tourism.

There is widespread evidence that people who take part in culture can acquire new skills and find routes to employment. Infrastructure that connects culture to new and incoming creative businesses in the economy is vital to a competitive and distinctive place.

Recreation and healthy living: Cultural and leisure activity provides a fundamental pathway to happiness and healthy living. Advances in telecommunications and transport mean that businesses and people are increasingly mobile and selective about where they move to and quality of life may be the most important consideration.

Those cities, towns or regions which are the most attractive places in which to live will gain an economic advantage. The quality of parks and public spaces, sports facilities and the attractiveness of the urban fabric and housing can all make a difference to places.

Planning for distinctiveness: Cultural resources play a fundamental role in creating a sense of community. With more places using culture to tackle economic and social issues, a distinctive approach to culture is critical.

It is important to draw upon the mix of existing cultural assets such as the diversity of the local population and the particular strengths of the arts sector, as well as attracting new types of cultural activity and infrastructure that can set a place apart. Those places which are culturally distinctive will be the most attractive and competitive.

Planning for growth: Too often planning for growth is driven by housing or economic policy but rarely by both. Culture provides an opportunity to join up these policies. More houses will only be occupied if there is a desire to live in a place and that means that a place must be deemed attractive, safe, clean and vibrant. Culture plays an obvious role in securing these conditions. Good cultural planning can operate as a means of building both markets for housing and jobs.

A cultural planning checklist for planners has helped create a dedicated approach to culture. You can access this checklist by accessing Creating Cultural Opportunities: A Methodology for Strengthening Cultural Infrastructure in Thames Gateway South Essex.

What happens next

Currently, the TGSEP’s Cultural Sub-Group is co-ordinating the work of the cultural sector in the sub-region. The Thames Gateway South Essex Cultural Commission will take over the sub-group's work and take forward the TGSE strategic framework for culture and action plan.

Publications and information links

Fleming, T., August 2007, Creating Cultural Opportunities: A Methodology for Strengthening Cultural Infrastructure in Thames Gateway South Essex, Creative Consultancy

Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), November 2006, Thames Gateway Interim Plan: Policy Framework

Prospect Row LLP, May 2008, A strategic framework for culture and an action plan. Produced on behalf of the Thames Gateway South Essex Cultural Commission

Prospect Row LLP, for approval 18th April 2008, Thames Gateway South Essex Cultural Commission. Draft Terms of Reference

Thames Gateway South Essex Strategic Housing Group, November 2008, Thames Gateway South Essex. Sub-regional housing strategy 2008-2001

Arts Council England, East
Living East
Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership
Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to Tom Fleming of Creative Consultancy and Lia Ghilardi of Noema Research and Planning (who produced the ISB-funded research project) for contributing to this case-study. Also to Catherine Slack of Prospect Row LLP for her contribution.