How to use the cultural infrastructure plan
The cultural infrastructure plan is set out across several documents including an evidence base and toolkits for planning and policy officers. This allows for the recommendations of the plan to be easily accessed and shared individually or as part of the overall cultural infrastructure plan.
Components include:
- A.Ealing cultural infrastructure plan (this document):
This document sets out the strategic rationale for
a series of recommendations, demonstrating how
evidence has been translated into actionable projects.
Project pages in Chapter 4 can be read together or
shared as stand-alone elements.
- B.Baseline Evidence Report: This includes strategic contextual information as well as a study of the current demographics and cultural assets informing projections for future cultural propensity in each of the seven towns.
- C.Supporting Notes: Supporting notes set out planning and policy recommendations to ensure the projects can be embedded. They also further evidence the case for sector focused recommendations. These notes accompany this document and have been shared with relevant council officers. They include:
- –3x topic papers setting out evidence and recommendations for film in Ealing, Ealing as a music hub and findings from engagement with cultural changemakers
- –Planning toolkit recommendations for how cultural infrastructure can be embedded through the planning process
- –Infrastructure delivery plan (IDP) recommendations:
A note setting out the interface of these recommendations with the IDP
Our approach
Overview
The cultural infrastructure plan was developed over four stages: identifying viable cultural uses and audiences, identifying sites and opportunities to embed culture, developing the plan recommendations and engagement with council services and partner organisations.
Understanding the evidence
By combining thematic and place-based perspectives, a comprehensive analysis of evidence was conducted, allowing for the identification of common patterns while also considering the unique characteristics and contexts of individual places.
The cultural manifesto provided key indicators against which the evidence was analysed. The manifesto identifies ten benefits culture can deliver for Ealing across placemaking, engaging and connecting communities and economic value. Current performance against these themes was assessed using a combination of datasets, including:
- –Census (2021);
- –DCLG English Indices of Deprivation (2021);
- –ONS Annual Population Survey (2022);
- –ONS Business Register and Employment Survey (2022)
- –High Streets Data Service information on vacancy and footfall
- –GLA data on cultural infrastructure at-risk (2022)
The indicators can also be used to test whether the recommendations in this plan are working. They include:
- –Changing the way people think, see, act (audience composition);
- –Creating art for its own intrinsic worth (amount, distribution and location of creative and cultural assets);
- –Creating better communities to live in (Deprivation, cost of living, public health outcomes, PTAL);
- –Changing the way places look (Character areas, cycling and walking routes);
- –Attracting and retaining talent, trade and investment (economically active population, qualification and education, occupational profile);