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Dateline: 16th September, 2007
Mapping Edinburgh's Cultural Landscape Edinburgh City Council has called in consultants PMP to map Edinburgh's "cultural landscape" for the foreseeable future. It is, PMP says, an ambitious study is to look at provision and potential investment needs of Edinburgh’s theatres, venues, galleries and museums. The City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & Lothian (SEEL) appointed PMP this week to deliver the comprehensive review. The study, which is the first of its kind in Scotland, will map existing and potential cultural venue provision in Edinburgh. The resulting report will set out an overview of investment required over the next twenty years to deliver a cultural infrastructure fit for Scotland’s capital city in the 21st century. Consultants will consider future demand for cultural venues in the city whilst carrying out research into events that do not currently visit Edinburgh because of the lack of an appropriate venue. This will be done whilst considering what competitor cities offer to ensure that any investment in Edinburgh’s provision is targeted effectively. Culture Leader Deidre Brock said, “This ground-breaking study will help set the agenda for the future of cultural venue provision in the Capital. Edinburgh has many top class venues and I know that there are many ideas out there for development but we must be sure that the money we invest is targeted effectively to achieve the biggest impact." Susan Watson, Tourism Team Leader for Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, said, "Having the right cultural infrastructure in place will not only encourage more visitors to the Capital but it was also enhance the city's quality of life, helping to attract more talented people and businesses to locate here. "The Thundering Hooves report highlighted the need to continue to invest in our festivals and events infrastructure and this study will illustrate what is needed in terms of cultural venues and provision to ensure we maintain our global leadership in this area." The study will cover venues run by the Council as well as those run nationally and by private organisations. Each venue in the city with a capacity of over 200 will be reviewed in terms of audience figures, programme and infrastructure investment. PMP will begin their work in the coming weeks and will report back in Spring 2008. PMP, which specialises in sport, leisure and culture, has offices in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
North Edinburgh Arts CentreIn a separate development, it was also announced this week that the North Edinburgh Arts Centre could close very soon because council officials have refused a request for an additional grant of £150,000 to enable the venue to stay open and are now considering withholding the council's the remaining £50,000 of the centre's annual grant because of the uncertainty of its future. All the centre's 22 staff were issued with redundancy notices in the last month after it emerged debts of £270,000 had been run up under the previous director, something which was only discovered after new director Claire Hicks took up her post in June. The centre, which cost £3m and has a 95-seat theatre, a cafe and exhibition space, a recording studio and workshop spaces, attracts 40,000 people a year through its doors and the city council recognises the contribution it makes to the community. Director of corporate services Jim Inch told The Scotsman newspaper, "Even if the council were able to agree to support, there is no guarantee that this would ensure the long-term survival of the venue." Local MSP Margaret Smith is backing the centre’s campaign. "The centre is such an important resource not only for Muirhouse and Pilton but for the whole of Edinburgh, it deserves our support and I for one already count myself as one of its friends," she said.
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