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We Made That

Ealing www.ealing.gov.uk Working with: Sound Diplomacy and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy

Working with: Sound Diplomacy and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy

Ealing Cultural Infrastructure Plan

Shaping Ealing's creative places

Working with

Cover image: Ealing Project, a new multi-functional community space providing a three-screen cinema, a café, a bar, community room, a stage for live music performance and space to exhibit art by local artists ©Around Ealing

All images courtesy of Ealing culture team unless otherwise indicated

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Contents

Foreword

Executive summary

01. Introduction

We Made That Ealing Cultural Infrastructure Plan

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Making Ealing home for culture and creativity

By Councillor Polly Knewstub

Our new plan reiterates our commitment to create a cultural legacy in Ealing. Culture is central to the rich and vibrant communities across our 7 towns, and we are committed to improving cultural access in all forms for every resident in the borough. I want as many people as possible to be able to access Ealing's culture, from our Bhangra scene to our thriving community of artists and designers.

At the last election, we pledged to turbocharge the creative spirit of Ealing, by securing and investing £1m in community and grassroots art, music, dance and culture. We’ve been working hard to not only achieve our central aims of improving access, places, support, collaboration, sustainability, ambition, and aspiration for arts, laid out in our cultural manifesto action plan.

spirit of Ealing, by securing and investing £1m in community and grassroots art, music, dance and culture. We've been working hard to not only achieve our central aims of improving access, places, support, collaboration, sustainability, ambition, and aspiration for arts, laid out in our cultural manifesto action plan.

This year we submitted a bid to be the next London Borough of Culture. The hard work and planning done by our team and our partners in preparing for the bid served to amplify Ealing as a borough fit for a cultural stage. Our cultural manifesto and action plan has accelerated our vision to diversify our festivals and events programmes, and deliver a state-of-the-art arts centre for the borough, which were all part of our overall Council Plan. However, a vital part of enabling and building on our Cultural Manifesto and Cultural Bid is ensuring we have the cultural infrastructure to support our ambitious plans.

Ealing's new cultural infrastructure plan will be a tool to set out what we need to do strengthen and grow our cultural

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facilities and organisations. The plan will also ensure we continue to deliver our three key missions: creating good jobs, tackling the climate crisis, and fighting inequality.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this plan can be a tool to get cultural inspiration off the ground and into our communities.

The plan makes clear that achieving resilient cultural infrastructure is more than our venues, it's about bringing people together to experience and support culture across the borough. Unlike most London Boroughs we have growing space to support our creative industries and yet we are under-providing. With input from residents, community and cultural organisations it's clear we must improve through increasing access and inclusion, our places and facilities and through strengthening our collaboration within the sector.

Although there are challenges ahead, we are committed to improving opportunity for Ealing residents to access culture across our 7 towns. I'm proud to be the cabinet member for thriving communities in Ealing, a borough recognised for its ambitious creative culture and I'm looking forward to seeing how this plan can be a tool to get cultural inspiration off the ground and into our communities.

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Cultural infrastructure for Ealing's 367,100 creatives

The home of British cinema and a cradle of British rock, Ealing is a cultural production powerhouse for London and the world. Now is an important moment to renew this legacy and ensure it delivers for those who make Ealing home.

Ealing has 10x more facilities for prop and costume manufacturing than the average London borough.

The cultural manifesto provides a roadmap for driving culture forward across the borough, demonstrating culture can bring well-paid jobs to Ealing, deliver real climate action and tackle inequalities. To meet the manifesto's ambitions for culture, Ealing must step up to plan infrastructure, from facilities and equipment to support creative careers to world-class performance venues to bring

The evidence shows Ealing's unique role as a provider of cultural production infrastructure for London, providing 9x more spaces for cultural making and manufacturing and 10x more facilities for prop and costume manufacturing than the average London borough.

The arrival of the Elizabeth Line and HS2 only further brighten Ealing's prospects as a place for culture, promising to both connect the borough with new audiences for cultural events and venues and to help Ealing offer London's creative industries the space they need to continue to grow. Council ambition to deliver world class projects, such as a regional park present

Despite the current outlook for London, Ealing has seen a more positive trajectory for cultural infrastructure growth, experiencing a 9 per cent increase in number of spaces for culture during the same period.

From evidence to action

London's cultural richness has always driven its reputation as a world leading city. However, the most recent update of London's Cultural Infrastructure Map revealed a sombre picture of space for culture across London. In 2022, there were found to be 2 per cent fewer spaces for culture in London than there were in 2018, reflecting challenges of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, which have impacted most acutely on diverse-led spaces.

Ealing has 9x more spaces for cultural making and manufacturing than the average London borough. Despite the current outlook for London, Ealing has seen a more positive trajectory for cultural infrastructure growth, experiencing a 9 per cent increase in number of spaces for culture during the same period.

House of AEIOU in Southall includes garment production space, sells locally-made art and books and hosts weekly events for creatives.

I

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'Film exhibition is changing. [New models] in Ealing are exemplars for independent cinema. Their sustainable development is vital for local cinema culture.' — Film sector interviewee

opportunities to embed culture at scale.

The evidence also reveals a landscape of challenges the cultural infrastructure plan responds to. Ealing is under-providing places for people to consume culture, providing less than half the number of cultural consumption spaces as its West London neighbours and over 4x fewer theatres, cinemas and music venues as the average London borough. Residents report having to travel outside the borough to participate and engage with culture as they would like to. New cultural infrastructure will need to provide innovative and locally-relevant solutions to these challenges.

Club Ealing Eclectic hosts diverse events showcasing music, arts, and cultural experiences.

‘We need places to connect with other artists in our neighbourhoods.’ — Levi, Northolt based illustrator

Act One Cinema revitalises a heritage asset by bringing an experienced independent cinema operator and running curated film events.

Ealing’s audiences are diverse, ranging from low engaged and health poor seniors and youths looking to participate in low-barrier activities locally to highly active, diverse, social and ambitious regular and eclectic arts engagers. The evidence shows that these audiences are geographically distributed, a result of disparity in income, demographic, health outcomes and transport connectivity across the borough.

The cultural infrastructure plan takes both a thematic and place-based approach to translating evidence into recommendations for cultural infrastructure, ensuring all projects work to deliver against Ealing’s challenges, capitalise on opportunities and support a growing cultural sector and talent base across Ealing’s seven towns. Bringing together the thematic evidence and place-based insights, the cultural infrastructure plan is guided by a set of principles which will ensure projects speak to local priorities. The guiding principles are as follows:

The guiding principles are as follows:

Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond and attract visitors to Ealing for culture.

Embrace digital transformation to reduce barriers to access and build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

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How to embed culture across Ealing's seven towns

Short

Medium

Long

Activate libraries to bring people together through culture.

Showcase local cultural narratives through new cross-art form cultural centre.

Seed a new festival celebrating local role in global film industry.

Build resilience, scale and profile of festivals and celebrations with street-level infrastructure. Enable the delivery of world class culture across the borough by securing facilities for development and production.

Attract a major institutional affiliate performance venue in new regional park.

Develop a coordinated roadmap to guide future investment in the music ecosystem. Deliver a new live music venue with co-located rehearsal and education space.

Secure funding for cultural infrastructure projects.

Embed cultural infrastructure in planning and regeneration.

Eight hallmark projects should be delivered as short, medium and long term interventions to grow Ealing's cultural offer and deliver opportunities for residents.

Hallmark projects for culture in Ealing's seven towns

Each of Ealing's seven towns - Acton, Ealing Town, Hanwell, Northolt, Greenford, Perivale and Southall - has a unique offer and opportunity to raise its cultural profile. Culture can also be embedded in existing council initiatives, such as emerging plans for a regional park. Based on this, eight hallmark projects offer key opportunities to respond to principles and build upon each town's offer over the lifespan of the cultural infrastructure plan. Short term projects are those which the council can initiate itself. These include projects in council-owned assets. Medium term projects are those where the council will have some agency, but will need to convene and enable external partners. Long term projects are larger scale projects which will require establishing long-standing partnerships and attracting investment.

over the lifespan of the cultural infrastructure plan. Short term projects are those which the council can initiate itself. These include projects in council-owned assets. Medium term projects are those where the council will have some agency, but will need to convene and enable external partners. Long term projects are larger scale projects which will require establishing long-standing partnerships and attracting investment.

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1. Libraries innovation programme: Activate libraries to bring people together through culture

Medium

4. Southall centre for culture: Showcase local cultural narratives through new cross-art form cultural centre

2. High streets festival network: Increase, size, popularity and resilience of festivals and celebrations with public space events infrastructure

3. Ealing music city strategy: Develop a coordinated roadmap to guide future investment in the music ecosystem

5. Creative production land trust: Secure long-term position as production powerhouse by safeguarding affordable creative space

6. Blended music venue: Deliver a new live music venue with co-located rehearsal and education space

7. South Asian film festival: Seed a new festival celebrating local role in global film industry

8. Regional park venue: Create an outdoor cultural venue in the new regional park

Eight hallmark projects (top) mapped alongside complementary projects (pg. 59) (bottom)

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- What is cultural infrastructure? - What is the cultural infrastructure plan?

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01. Introduction

What is cultural infrastructure?

Cultural infrastructure refers to the spaces and buildings in which cultural activities take place. This includes spaces for the production (making) of culture, the consumption (showcasing) of culture, and the supply chain activities which support both production and consumption.

Places of consumption and production are defined in this document as follows, with examples overleaf:

Consumption: Places where culture is experienced, participated in, showcased, exhibited or sold. For example, museums, galleries, theatres, cinemas, libraries, record stores and historic cultural sites.

Production: Places of creative production, where creative work is made, usually by artists, performers, makers, manufacturers or digital processes. For example creative workspaces, performing arts rehearsal spaces, music recording studios, film and television studios and industrial and light industrial units used by creative and cultural businesses. An important element of cultural production is the supply-chain sub-strata which provide the supporting materials and services for cultural production.

Dedicated faith spaces do not form part of the scope of this study. However, they were considered in some of the project recommendations in recognition of their important community functions. In addition, some of the community halls included in the mapping are also regularly used by faith groups, both for worship and for other community purposes. Pubs and other night time infrastructure also play an important role in Ealing's cultural ecosystem, especially those which provide settings for a grassroots music scene.

It is important to note the limits of cultural infrastructure mapping. In addition to types of spaces not captured in this view, timing of mapping means that some newer spaces may not be captured. Future sector surveying could provide a more granular picture of provision across the borough.

Ealing provides a total of 96 spaces for cultural production and consumption, and plays a distinct role in its West London geography and in London as a whole.

Key

Artists workspace

Artists workspace Makerspace Creative coworking desk space Creative workspace Theatre Theatre rehearsal studio Dance performance venue Dance rehearsal studio Music rehearsal studio Music production studio Textile design Set and exhibition building Prop and costume making Jewellery design Fashion and design Making and manufacturing Museum or public gallery Commercial gallery Making and manufacturing Art centre Cinema Library LGBTQ venue Archives

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01. Introduction

Galleries: Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery

Film/TV studios: Ealing Studios

Prop hire and storage: The Classic Prop Hire

Theatres: The Questors Theatre

Live Music Venues: The Hanwell Cavern

Artist workspace: Colville Road Artists

Urchin studios: Music recording studios

Equipment hire: FX rentals

Metal supply: London metals

Examples of cultural infrastructure across Ealing's value chain

Cultural infrastructure in Ealing

There were 96 spaces for culture mapped across Ealing in the latest update to the Greater London Authority's cultural infrastructure map (2022).

Ealing’s cultural consumption facilities provide spaces for artistic expression, experimentation, and innovation. Examples of Ealing’s existing cultural consumption facilities include Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, The Questors Theatre and the Hanwell Cavern. Cultural production facilities, such as studios, galleries and recording and rehearsal facilities are where Ealing’s artists and cultural producers generate content. This includes artist workspaces, such as Colville Road Artist Workspace in South Acton, Film and TV studios such as the famed Ealing Studios, and Urchin music recording studios in Southall. OPEN Southall in The Green Quarter provides a new model of mixed production, education and community space that demonstrates how production, consumption and ancillary space can be blended to deliver dynamic places. Ealing is also home to a varied and healthy ‘sub-strata’ of businesses which are part of the creative supply chain. These are not captured in the Greater London Authority mapping of cultural infrastructure, but are critical components of Ealing’s economic role within London and the wider region. Examples of supply chain sub-strata activities in Ealing include storage and prop hire for film and TV, A/V equipment rental, catering companies which service the film and events industries, and metal workshops which build sets. Much of this activity takes place on Ealing’s industrial land.

Ealing is also home to a varied and healthy ‘sub-strata’ of businesses which are part of the creative supply chain. These are not captured in the Greater London Authority mapping of cultural infrastructure, but are critical components of Ealing’s economic role within London and the wider region. Examples of supply chain sub-strata activities in Ealing include storage and prop hire for film and TV, A/V equipment rental, catering companies which service the film and events industries, and metal workshops which build sets. Much of this activity takes place on Ealing’s industrial land.

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01. Introduction

What is the cultural infrastructure plan?

The cultural infrastructure plan provides the opportunity to embed culture across Ealing by providing the opportunity to plan for culture in the same way as we plan for housing and transport. It is rooted in robust evidence and provides clear plans for delivery.

The cultural infrastructure plan is embedded in the council's other plans and frameworks including the council plan 2022-2026 and directly responds to the priorities set out in the cultural manifesto.

Driving forward Ealing's ambitions

This cultural infrastructure plan is a key action emerging from the cultural manifesto and accompanying action plan. The cultural manifesto made the case for turbo-charging the impacts of culture, provided critical direction-setting for Ealing's cultural growth, and created a framework for all of Ealing's "367,100 Creatives" to contribute to and to benefit from. An accompanying action plan sets out a pathway to do so. However, the borough must ensure the availability of cultural space to integrate culture into everyday life and ensure that residents in each of Ealing's seven towns can benefit. By embedding culture across the borough, Ealing will support cultural consumption facilities, cultural production and creative supply chains and lock in cultural space for years to come. In doing so, it will create pathways towards council priorities: creating good jobs, tackling the climate crisis and fighting inequality.

We Made That

The council plan 2022-2026

Sets out the council vision, strategy and commitments for the next four years and centred around three themes – creating good jobs, tackling the climate crisis, fighting inequality.

The cultural manifesto and action plan

Provides a framework for achieving the council's ambitions around art and culture that have been outlined in the council plan 2022–2026.

The cultural infrastructure plan

Serves as Ealing's blueprint for what cultural spaces are needed for its diverse communities over the short, medium and long term so that the ambitions in the cultural manifesto can be achieved.

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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:

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.

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.

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);

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Attracting and retaining talent, trade and investment (economically active population, qualifications and education, occupational profile);

Engaging communities with new ideas and agendas (age breakdown, disability, ethnicity, sexuality);

Connecting communities to the world (year of arrival to the UK, passports held);

Changing perceptions of places (existing Arts and Culture team surveys, aggregated online reviews)

Stimulating the creative economy (business sectors and employment sectors); and

Attracting tourists and visitors (short term rental profiles)

The thematic evidence was combined with a place-specific lens which examined Ealing at three scales: Ealing's role in a West London cluster (Harrow, Hillingdon, Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow), Ealing's performance at a borough-level, and each of Ealing's seven towns (Acton, Greenford, Northolt, Perivale, Ealing, Southall, Hanwell) and their town centres.

Structuring the evidence

To effectively translate evidence into actionable recommendations tailored to the specific needs of Ealing's diverse communities, current and projected demographic data were carefully matched with audience profile categories from the Audience Agency profiles.1

This allowed for an understanding of how culture can meet the distinct needs and opportunities of each of Ealing’s places and was used to shape strategies for three scales of cultural infrastructure, plus a borough-wide approach.

Voices from engagement and from the sector

A series of 1:1 interviews with music industry experts, including operators, conducted by Sound Diplomacy

These activities ensured voices and priorities could be captured to shape recommendations.

A selection of voices from this engagement are summarised overleaf.

Throughout the process, Ealing residents and sector representatives were engaged through a pace of structured engagement activities, including:

1x ‘Co-Lab’ event which invited local creative changemakers to discuss what infrastructure is needed across the borough and where it is needed

A series of 1:1 interviews with key stakeholders in the film industry, conducted by Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy

1 The Audience Agency. (n.d.). Experience Seekers Profiles. [Online] Available at: https://www.theaudienceagency.org/audience-spectrum/profiles – A series of 1:1 interviews with music industry experts, including operators, conducted by Sound Diplomacy

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“Ealing can boost its status as a ‘filming friendly’ borough.”

Film sector interviewee

“Young audiences are looking for more sober and day-time music events.”

Music sector interviewee

“The South Asian community isn't just about street festivals and Bhangra, we like jazz too.”

Local creative business owner

“It takes me over an hour on the bus to get to events on Ealing Broadway.”

Northolt-based illustrator

“There are opportunities to make better use of high street spaces.”

Local musician

“The cultural scene needs more joining up.”

Local creative business owner

“Ealing needs diverse film exhibition and education.”

Film sector interviewee

“Hanwell Community Centre used to provide artist studio space in its hallways. Our community centres today could be better used for artist workspace.”

Hanwell-based visual artist

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02 Ealing now and next

Overview Ealing now Ealing next Guiding principles

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02. Ealing now and next

Overview Principles for action grounded in evidence

Ealing is a dynamic and diverse borough anticipating significant change across the next decade. The types of people attracted to the borough to live, work and play will evolve with strategic change. The cultural infrastructure plan is guided by predictions about this evolution and accompanying challenges and opportunities.

Some groups currently not able to access culture at all are connected with cultural opportunities; and

Education and training grow the creative workforce. Over the next fifteen years, it is therefore expected that the groups most active in participating in cultural activity increase significantly. The following sections set out highlights from the evidence that have implications for action. A set of guiding principles sets out the challenges for cultural infrastructure projects to respond to.

Over the next fifteen years, it is therefore expected that the groups most active in participating in cultural activity increase significantly. The following sections set out highlights from the evidence that have implications for action. A set of guiding principles sets out the challenges for cultural infrastructure projects to respond to.

The diversity of the borough's cultural profile is one of its key strengths which can be championed and celebrated by its audiences and the creative sector. Cultural expression provides an important link to each of Ealing's residents' heritage and their personal and community identity. The borough is committed to tackle inequalities in all its forms and creative cultural programming offers opportunities for greater understanding and new connections to be forged between all people who make Ealing their home.

Ealing’s population is growing faster than the predicted growth of London as a whole. Major new housing developments, particularly along the Elizabeth Line and within Old Oak will attract new residents, impacting what cultural infrastructure is required. This is considered to be the future ‘cultural propensity’ of Ealing and the Baseline Evidence Report describes the analysis of this. Across the Borough, key indicators of growing momentum for cultural infrastructure include:

New transport links with the arrival of The Elizabeth Line, HS2 at Old Oak Common and potential West London Orbital attract people who work in other parts of London and beyond, bringing new residents with a higher propensity for culture;

Production opportunities afforded by growing logistics networks multiply, generating new creative employment opportunities;

Council focus on 20-minute neighbourhood frameworks improves town centre vitality and footfall, creating new opportunities to bring people together through culture;

Perceptions of Ealing as a place in which to consume culture improve;

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02. Ealing now and next

Evidence to action Ealing now

There are existing challenges the cultural infrastructure plan will need to respond to as well as opportunities for culture to be embedded and maximise impact.

Disparity in town centre performance

Some of Ealing's high streets and town centres are well connected with a diverse offer, while other towns lack a distinct town centre.

A diverse, growing borough

A wealth of green space

The third most diverse local authority in the UK, 54% of Ealing's population is black and multi-ethnic. It has seen an 8.5% growth since 2012, higher than London average.

With over a quarter of its land open space, Ealing has an opportunity to bring cultural activities into its green and open spaces.

Unequal access to culture

Low skills and low pay

34.2% of Ealing households experience multiple deprivation. Acton, Greenford and Perivale also have poor connectivity, limiting access to culture.

Ealing residents earn 9% less than London average, with severe inequality between low and high earnings and pockets of low paid jobs in areas such as Perivale.

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02. Ealing now and next

Evidence to action Ealing next

The cultural infrastructure plan will also need to plan for the Ealing of the future. Emerging population trends and commitments to bring new jobs and opportunities to the borough will change the profile of audiences and opportunities.

A focus on 20-minute neighbourhoods

Thriving local town-centres can deliver culture that's accessible, affordable and tailored to the towns' needs.

New population and demand for culture

Plans to create a new regional park

38,250 new homes are planned across the local area and new tenure mixes will diversify the population.

A new destination providing places for people to replenish their health, enjoy cultural events, support the local economy and have fun.

Increased connectivity supported by transport

A focus on bringing well-paid jobs to the borough

The Elizabeth Line and HS2 will connect residents beyond Ealing and will bring new audiences to the borough.

Ambition to bring 10,000 new jobs to Ealing in the next 5 years, with opportunities to specialise in growth sectors.

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02. Ealing now and next

Evidence to action Guiding principles

Responding to identified need, this cultural infrastructure plan follows a set of guiding principles which shape recommendations for intervention and direct how culture requirements can be embedded into developing plans and policies.

Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond and attract visitors to Ealing for culture.

Embrace digital transformation to reduce barriers to access and build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

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03

Responding to audiences and need

- How to intervene - Audiences - Where to intervene - Learning from elsewhere

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How to intervene Themes and gaps

Ealing has a unique cultural profile, both as an important provider of cultural infrastructure in a cluster of West London boroughs and in London as a whole. There are clear gaps and opportunities to intervene to support the ecosystem, along with strengths to build on.

Consumption

Evidence supports a clear case for intervening to provide and enhance existing spaces for cultural consumption in Ealing.

Ealing’s provision of spaces for culture falls behind its West London counterparts (Brent, Harrow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, and Hillingdon) and behind the rest of London in terms of the quantity of cultural infrastructure consumption space available.

For example:

While the average London borough hosts nearly 9 theatres, Ealing hosts 2

Ealing has only 2 public galleries, ranking below both the West London average of 3 and London average of 8

Most London boroughs, including West London cluster boroughs, provide at least 1 arts centre, where Ealing does not yet provide this kind of multi-functional arts space

While these benchmarks should be read with caution, as necessary infrastructure provision depends on a range of highly localised factors, Ealing under-provides spaces for cultural consumption across the board, meaning audiences are traveling elsewhere for culture consumption, which reduces local access to cultural opportunities and local benefit.

Community-based cultural hubs

Engagement with local cultural changemakers provided consensus that cultural activities should be available to all residents across Ealing. However, for a wide range of people to participate in cultural activity, there needs to be more locally accessible opportunities. Many cultural consumption spaces are located in the main town centres of Acton and Ealing, and there is a notable lack of provision of cultural infrastructure in other areas of the borough including Northolt and Southall.

It is important to protect existing spaces for cultural use, support their promotion, improvement, diversified use and ongoing growth, alongside plans to establish new facilities across the borough. Ealing's high provision of libraries (13 compared with a London average of 10), and the council's commitment to embedding a 20-minute neighbourhood approach in the seven towns both bolster the argument for improving access to cultural programming by diversifying the use of existing council venues for local communities.

Spaces for film exhibition—from festivals to multi-plexes

A diverse screen exhibition offer is vital for nurturing local screen talent pools because it builds a ‘film culture’, providing access to international stories, inspiring creative practice and encouraging a new generation of storytelling. Screen exhibition is also an enriching part of the wider cultural landscape and visitor and leisure economy, supporting the diversification of town centres and stimulating spend across a range of sectors. The screen industry is increasingly pervasive, offering possibilities for embedding digital art and story-telling in the urban fabric through public exhibition and placemaking initiatives.

Given the population size in Ealing, there is a gap in film exhibition space across all models. Engagement with film sector stakeholders reveals that the sector is in a period of transition post-Covid and is dependent on major blockbusters to generate a sustainable business model for cinema exhibition. At the same time, independently operated venues are likely to provide the best employment and training opportunities for young people, and are easiest to link with the film production ecosystem. Ealing's existing independent cinemas, including Act One in Acton

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03. Responding to audiences and need

and the Ealing Project, provide good independent provision, with opportunities to expand this with offers at different scales.

Strategic programming, audience development and engagement for South Asian film

A unique strength in Ealing's film consumption ecosystem is South Asian film and film culture. Tongues on Fire and London Indian Film Festival have the opportunity to develop a stronger presence in Ealing and work toward establishing Southall as a hub for South Asian film across the value chain. This could scope an 'on-shoring' model for South Asian film and wider supply chain, including beauty, fashion and technology, positioning Southall as London's hub for South Asian film.

Music venue(s) across a range of scales

There is a need for new music venues in London as live music space closures have been accelerated by the impact of COVID-19. Engagement with a range of expert operators and music stakeholders has identified a range of venue sizes, scales and configurations to attract new audiences to Ealing and support the local music sector.

A venue ranging from 600-1,000 capacity is deemed necessary for London's musical landscape, bridging the gap between smaller and arena-sized venues. A venue of this capacity would allow for building a local music ecosystem and tend to the grassroots. There is also a gap for a 2,500-3,000 capacity venue in London, a size that an in-house team of independent venue operators and promoters could manage without the need to appeal to global groups.

Engagement also identified an opportunity for a 3,000-6,000 capacity venue as a potential consideration, although this would need to be operated by an events management group with the resources to run a venue of this calibre. Furthermore, Ealing Council would need to consider the proximity of the similarly sized 5,000-capacity Hammersmith Apollo as a potential competitor. Anything larger than a 6,000 capacity venue is deemed unnecessary in London, due to the existence of other similarly sized venues such as Alexandra Palace and Wembley.

The introduction of new showcasing venues would significantly enhance the opportunities for local artists to grow in Ealing. Ealing already has good provision of music rehearsal, recording and other production space, which is important to retain in the borough to support locally-rooted talent. However, analysis of other London boroughs successful in raising their music profiles, for example Croydon, has shown that provision of the full spectrum of music venues from rehearsal studios to a variety of performance spaces, from grassroots to major venues, has been important to launching local talent. The protection of existing performance space such as the Cavern at Hanwell Community Centre and within pubs, cinemas and alternate venues will be an important part of this range of spaces in order to support the successful growth of Ealing's local music sector.

of music rehearsal, recording and other production space, which is important to retain in the borough to support locally-rooted talent. However, analysis of other London boroughs successful in raising their music profiles, for example Croydon, has shown that provision of the full spectrum of music venues from rehearsal studios to a variety of performance spaces, from grassroots to major venues, has been important to launching local talent. The protection of existing performance space such as the Cavern at Hanwell Community Centre and within pubs, cinemas and alternate venues will be an important part of this range of spaces in order to support the successful growth of Ealing's local music sector.

Wider support for the night-time economy can enhance Ealing's attractiveness as a place for music consumption. Ongoing work to support the night time economy will set out in detail the policies needed to support Ealing's existing ecosystem of pubs and night time venues, as well as the night-time work which supports them.

Enhanced spaces for music festivals and day-time events

The consumption habits of younger generations are shifting, with audiences tending towards daytime events and festivals, with opportunities to provide the picturesque experiences desired in the social-media era. A movement away from alcohol is driving a demand for sober and daylight entertainment options.

Ealing hosts several outdoor events and festivals in its parks ranging from the Jazz Festival (Walpole Park) to EidFest (Ealing Common). Large festivals attracting thousands from across London have previously been hosted in Ealing, such as LoveBox (Gunnersbury Park) and provide proof of concept. Given the increased demand for festivals and daytime activities, there is an opportunity to support these activities through improved event infrastructure, communication and marketing. Given the emphasis in providing new green spaces across the borough, there is also scope to embed cultural activities in Ealing's wealth of outdoor spaces, with easy local and city-wide access. This could include art trails, new venues and both the hard infrastructure (power access, WCs, A/V access) and soft infrastructure (licensing, planning support) to help deliver these opportunities smoothly and attract festival operators.

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Production

While Ealing falls behind its neighbours in spaces for cultural consumption, it outperforms all West London and London averages in spaces for production. For example, Ealing provides:

6 times the West London average and 9 times the London average of making and manufacturing space

3 times the West London and 10 times London average of prop and costume making

1.5 times West London and 1.8 times London average of artist workspaces

This presents strong opportunities to build on a unique local offer to improve Ealing as a home for London's creative making and manufacturing and maximise the benefits of culture for Ealing residents.

Protecting and intensifying creative uses on industrial land

Ealing’s industrial land contributes to the high provision of space for cultural production. At least 5 per cent of land and 6 per cent of floorspace on Ealing’s industrial land hosts creative jobs, higher than elsewhere in London. This presence can be further strengthened through Ealing’s well-developed strategic relationships with industrial landowners. Ealing has an opportunity through this strength to demonstrate leadership in experimenting with new models for protecting, re-imagining and creating new opportunities for creative activity and cultural sector supply chains on industrial land, including through intensification and co-location. Some areas see a need to support the promotion and protection of existing production facilities and the retention of meanwhile studio spaces. In Park Royal, there is scope to strengthen a local cluster to ensure spaces do not become re-purposed for high economic value activities such as warehousing and data storage.

Local access to shared equipment

Analysis of the success of other local authorities in bolstering local cultural production has shown access to equipment to be important to seeding new creative enterprises and building a robust network of cultural production space. One to provide this is through makerspaces, which give open access to tools and equipment for local artists and creative makers to use.

Film production facilities

Continue to build a sustainable powerhouse for film in West London with a focus on the retention and the expansion of World Class film facilities, and the associated wider sector supply chain, to support the local economy and deliver good jobs in the borough.

There is the opportunity to attract associated ventures in high value screen activities, including visual effects and XR, with a further opportunity to focus on innovation infrastructure – e.g. for next generation visual effects, immersive storytelling and application of AI to creative content development. Growing skills and career pathways into this sector can further support the industry and local specialisms.

Site and service infrastructure for filming

For some creative production sectors, especially film, Ealing has an opportunity to provide ‘site and service’ infrastructure to boost its reputation as friendly to film production. Access to electricity and water in parks and public spaces, fast-track licensing for on-location filming, providing detailed information on available temporary sites – e.g. large warehousing – would open up Ealing as a location for project-based filming.

Quality of place

There is a need to enhance quality of place at key sector clusters, notably Park Royal and the Great West Corridor to the south of the Borough. In these locations, sector stakeholders have identified enhanced legibility, greening, cycle infrastructure, lighting and a more engaging public realm as necessary interventions to maintain these areas as attractive places to work. This would improve active travel connections between clusters and increase attractiveness and safety for employees and employers to work (and live) locally.

Affordable artist studios

There is a need for a varied affordable workspace and studio space offer in the borough. Despite a relatively high provision of artist workspace in comparison to other boroughs, there remains a high demand for space, including several spaces reporting waiting lists, and a lack of affordability for those fit-for-purpose facilities in accessible locations.

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Skills, talent development and inclusion

Over the past decade the population of Ealing has increased by 8.5 percent. This is higher than both the London and England rates over the same period and is expected to continue growing, especially in the towns of Southall, Acton and Ealing. Ealing is the third most ethnically diverse local authority in the country, with over 170 languages spoken and with 54 percent of the population identifying as being from ethnically minoritised backgrounds.

34.2 percent of all households in Ealing are classified as being deprived, with many of these households concentrated in areas of the borough (Northolt, Southall and Acton) which experience issues of severance in the borough. Overall, Ealing residents currently earn 9 percent less than the average Londoner, although earnings vary significantly across the borough with high concentrations of low income households in the West of the borough. There is an opportunity to further specialise in key growth sectors of digital/information and communication technology (ICT), film, television, manufacturing (linked to food manufacturing subsection) and logistics that are supported by the cultural and creative industries. This will require a deliberate focus on talent and inclusion on the cultural infrastructure agenda.

Spaces for exchange and networking

A gap in spaces to meet and network with other creatives was identified during sector engagement. This is particularly acute in the less-connected areas of Northolt and Perivale, where creative practitioners emphasised that they have little to no connection with other local artists.

For the film sector specifically, there are limited spaces for exchange and networking outside of ‘gated’ industry such as in studio facilities. Ealing Broadway is the go-to hub for younger people, so it will be vital to focus networking and exchange activities here, linking to the retail and experience economy. Existing networks such as The Hive at Garden Studios and ReelParkRoyal could act as anchors to build the network and support can focus on access an inclusion. North Acton and Old Oak provide new opportunities to expand these activities. In Park Royal, a permanent space for screen-based co-working, knowledge exchange and functions and events would increase the quality and dynamism of the cluster and could anchor the ReelParkRoyal network. Broader development issues— such as tailored business and management support, access to finance, affordable space etc.— all limit access to skills development. This is a particular issue for the micro enterprises and ‘hidden creatives’ across Ealing.

increase the quality and dynamism of the cluster and could anchor the ReelParkRoyal network. Broader development issues— such as tailored business and management support, access to finance, affordable space etc.— all limit access to skills development. This is a particular issue for the micro enterprises and ‘hidden creatives’ across Ealing.

Places for screen research, development and upskilling

There are significant skills gaps across the screen industries and the sector is not re-skilling to keep pace with the current or future need (e.g. to build capability to turn artificial intelligence (AI) into new creative and commercial opportunities). There are significant cultural and social barriers to skills, meaning the screen sector is not providing talent pathways for diverse communities. Key skills shortages across the supply chain include high end production, extended reality (XR), and animation. However, accountancy, law, management and logistics skills shortage also impact on film as key sub-strata activities. A few initiatives are currently seeking to fill these gaps, including Film London and Screenskills. There is an opportunity to provide the fit-for-purpose spaces needed for these activities.

There are also clear gaps in sustainability-specific research and upskilling. Film London's Exhibitors Network has a training programme plus is a key pillar for funding guidance. Park Royal was identified in engagement as a potential West London hub for a sustainable screen sector, with skills programmes, circular economy resources and facilities for recycling and upcycling in the screen sector.

Employment opportunities and skills development at music venues

Establishing well-compensated, stable jobs and apprenticeships will be pivotal for garnering favourable community support for any new music venues. The launch of a venue presents opportunities for community members, but will require a focus on securing long-term positions in an industry characterised by its unstable nature and seasonality. This might be supported by launching apprenticeship programmes in collaboration with local organisations.

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Audiences Ealing's audience needs

The diversity of Ealing's seven towns means that a varied and locally responsive approach to culture must drive infrastructure provision. Across the borough, current audiences span from culturally low-engaged, health poor residents who need access to opportunities to connect and engage close to home, to high earning young professionals interested in new experiences.

Ealing's audiences and needs

Recognising the varying cultural preferences and requirements across Ealing's seven towns is essential for cultural infrastructure planning. A tailored approach to current and future audiences ensures that the borough's residents have access to the cultural amenities that resonate most with their unique identities, lifestyles, access needs and priorities.

The diversity across Ealing's seven towns means that a local approach to culture must drive infrastructure provision. Across the borough, current audiences span from culturally low-engaged, health poor residents who need access to opportunities to connect and engage close to home, to high earning young professionals interested in eclectic experiences.

Based on the demographic profiles of each of Ealing’s seven towns (see evidence base for more detail), three categories of need have been identified for Ealing residents. Audience engagement data for Ealing has been mapped across these provision categories. Of course, Ealing’s evolving demographic profiles and future development landscape significantly impact the borough’s requirements for cultural infrastructure. As the population changes and expands, the demand for cultural amenities and facilities is likely to transform.

Snapshots from the audience evidence follow. A depiction of the relationship between audience profiles and interventions is overleaf.

40% of Acton's jobs are low-paid. This is much higher than London average.

£45k is the average annual earning in Ealing town, the highest of all seven towns.

41.3 is the average age in Hanwell. The town has the oldest population, which has experienced the highest recent decline.

23% of Greenford residents are under the age of 15.

35 is the average age in Northolt. Northolt has the youngest population of the seven towns.

17% of Perivale residents have no qualifications. This is well above Ealing average of 7%.

90% of Southall residents belong to an ethnic minority group, making Southall the most diverse town.

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03. Responding to audiences and need

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Where to intervene Strategies to meet audience needs

This cultural infrastructure plan presents strategies according to three different scales of intervention, which respond to the needs of Ealing's diverse audiences.

Based on analysis of the evidence base, the proposed approach to cultural infrastructure in Ealing considers three scales of intervention, plus borough-wide recommendations.

These categories can be thought of as a spectrum on which the seven towns are positioned, highlighting the varying degrees of cultural accessibility and connectivity within Ealing's places (see page 31). The scales of intervention and what is known about the needs of the places for which each strategy is relevant are described across the following pages.

Culture at your doorstep

The Workary at Northolt Library ©Hubble

What it is

The culture at your doorstep strategy focuses on towns with high deprivation rate, poor connectivity to the rest of the borough and beyond, and low existing provision of cultural infrastructure.

What it responds to

Certain areas in Ealing have fewer opportunities for cultural consumption and production, such as Northolt and Greenford. When coupled with high levels of severance, it can be difficult for residents in these areas to travel to other places in order to access cultural activities. Inequality and poverty have also increased across Ealing, which impacts some residents' abilities to afford cultural offers.

What this strategy will do

This strategy will embed culture at a hyper-local scale and provide free or affordable, local spaces for cultural production and consumption.

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Culture in the town centre

Connected to culture

Street festival in Hanwell ©Wikipedia

Rana Begum at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery

What it is

The culture in the town centre strategy addresses places with a locally growing or existing town centre that concentrates creative and cultural opportunities in the area. It maximises the opportunity for cultural activity to revitalise and celebrate the individual character of each town centre.

What it responds to

Large parts of Ealing are undergoing various scales of development and their transformation is of great importance to both the borough and London as a whole. There is an opportunity to develop and formalise a vision for culture in these areas, and ingrain cultural infrastructure provision from the outset.

What this strategy will do

This strategy will unlock provision for both cultural production and consumption within existing and growing town centres to promote cultural growth and widen opportunities to participate in cultural activities.

The connected to culture strategy focuses on towns with rapid connection to the rest of the capital, especially Central London. This is enabled by transport links such as the Elizabeth Line, HS2 and potential West London Orbital. This proximity offers the opportunity for Ealing to become a cultural destination for Londoners. It supports a strong existing creative community to embed culture within large scale transformative regeneration schemes and thriving towns.

What it responds to

The opening of the Elizabeth Line and HS2 further enhance the opportunity for Ealing to become a destination for culture.

What this strategy will do

This strategy will create new flagship cultural venues within walking distance of stations with good connection to London and beyond. This needs to be supported by dynamic cultural programming and communication of Ealing’s culturally distinctive offer.

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Where to intervene Borough-wide approach

Culture across Ealing

Thinking about cultural infrastructure provision at a borough-wide level makes way for interventions that support the wider production and supply-chain sub-strata activities that may take place outside of neighbourhoods, high streets and town centres.

Borough-wide interventions support Ealing’s strategic cultural role in London, as both a site of production within the West London industrial arc and as an area for cultural consumption in relation to Central London. Borough-wide strategies may also enable activities at the other three scales to be joined-up, to maximise their impact.

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Learning from elsewhere London benchmarks

A selection of London boroughs with similar demographic profiles, geographic conditions and cultural trajectories provide a benchmark against which to evaluate the level, nature and scale of provision needed to meet Ealing's cultural ambitions.

Given their similarities, these comparators serve both as inspiration for Ealing and as potential competition as Ealing deploys its strategies to meet audience need.

Croydon Creative Enterprise Zone, Croydon © Croydon CEZ

Croydon

Lesson: Building a mature network of partners amplifies the power of cultural space.

Population: 390,000

Relevant characteristics: Outer London borough hosting a Creative Enterprise Zone

Total cultural spaces: 63

After a failed bid to become London Borough of Culture in 2019, London Borough of Croydon built a successful 2023 Borough of Culture campaign on the basis of well-networked local partnerships united around a strong vision. This included leveraging the convening power of the Creative Enterprise Zone Consortium, including 28 partners representing visual arts and designer makers, music, performing arts, the tech sector, co-working providers, developers, the private sector, business and enterprise support and education and community partners. Several anchor institutions have been mobilised to provide a delivery framework for Croydon Borough of Culture and to allocate funding for production of the Borough of Culture programme. This includes the BRIT School, Stanley Arts, Talawa, Turf Projects, Whitgift Foundation among others.

the basis of well-networked local partnerships united around a strong vision. This included leveraging the convening power of the Creative Enterprise Zone Consortium, including 28 partners representing visual arts and designer makers, music, performing arts, the tech sector, co-working providers, developers, the private sector, business and enterprise support and education and community partners. Several anchor institutions have been mobilised to provide a delivery framework for Croydon Borough of Culture and to allocate funding for production of the Borough of Culture programme. This includes the BRIT School, Stanley Arts, Talawa, Turf Projects, Whitgift Foundation among others.

A focus on convening partners enabled Croydon to translate support provided for businesses through the Creative Enterprise Zone programme into delivery power for the Borough of Culture programming. For example, over 100 businesses and organisations that received Covid-19 recovery grants through the Creative Enterprise Zone Recovery Grants initiative went on to deliver the Borough of Culture events, reflecting the importance of delivering multi-level support for local creative enterprise and building a strong base of relationships to complement physical cultural infrastructure.

Key to this has been the diversity of institutional and organisational partners who each play a role in the local ecosystem, particularly those with a performing-arts focus. Ealing should pay particular attention to the diverse range performance spaces Croydon provides, namely:

4 theatres, including multi-use arts, entertainment and conference centre Fairfield Halls which includes a concert hall and 200-capacity theatre and provides a home base with studios and offices for the UK's primary Black led theatre company (Talawa Theatre)

4 dance performance venues, including 180-capacity Stanley Hall in Stanley Arts Centre co-located with a range of other exhibition spaces and workspaces

9 live music venues (nearly 2x Ealing and 1.2x London average), including 122-capacity Front Room which also has recording and rehearsal space and provides a platform for up-and-coming artists to launch careers

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Sadlers Wells at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Newham ©Official London Theatre

Newham

Lesson: Attracting major cultural institutions and improving everyday infrastructure can be pursued simultaneously.

Population: 360,000

Relevant characteristics: Outer London borough with acute economic and social disparity

Total cultural spaces: 106

Like Ealing, London Borough of Newham experiences severe economic disparity and has recently renewed a focus on ensuring inclusive growth. Newham's new Community Wealth Building Strategy is supporting the council to tackle injustice with a focus on poverty and addressing racialised and gendered disparities. A particular focus has been on supporting Newham businesses to improve productivity and ensuring wealth created locally is held democratically. This has directed a number of new culture-focused commissions, with an emphasis on local centres. For example, in Green Street Town Centre, a series of improvements to Queen's Market will upgrade the look, feel and function of the market, a new meanwhile-use affordable workspace will enable employment and business growth for residents and small businesses, vacant retail units are being converted into new creative and cultural space including a café and gallery, and an uplift in public space will create more opportunities for residents to host cultural events. Key to this is a focus on the civic day-to-day, and opportunities for culture close to home for Newham's residents. Ealing should pay particular attention to the everyday cultural opportunities Newham has unlocked through its Community Wealth Building approach, including:

Key to this is a focus on the civic day-to-day, and opportunities for culture close to home for Newham's residents. Ealing should pay particular attention to the everyday cultural opportunities Newham has unlocked through its Community Wealth Building approach, including:

10 libraries, which have seen a 46% increase in footfall and 7,000 new library memberships since they introduced extended opening hours in 2022-2023

3 major cultural institutions based in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow ©V&A

Waltham Forest

Lesson: Creating a welcoming home for London's creative production activities can raise cultural profile.

Population: 278,000

Relevant characteristics: Outer London borough with strong creative production ecosystem and transport links into Central London

Total cultural spaces: 101

London's first Borough of Culture in 2019, London Borough of Waltham Forest has leveraged its position as a major contributor of industrial land to raise its cultural profile. Like Ealing, Waltham Forest hosts a significant cultural production ecosystem, although its specialism is in artist workspace, makerspaces

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03. Responding to audiences and need

and textile design. Public realm enhancements to the Blackhorse Lane industrial area have supported the spatial needs of small-scale creative manufacturers and raised the Borough's profile as a place to work and start a creative business. Good provision of creative manufacturing space is rounded out by makerspaces, which provide low-barrier access to equipment and space to seed new business.

Key to this has been celebrating and drawing attention to a legacy and current strength in textile design including through festivals such as the Fashion District Festival. As it looks to build on and grow its own specialisms in prop and costume making, Ealing should pay particular attention to the ways in which Waltham Forest has protected and enhanced its space for cultural production, including:

16 artist workspaces (1.2x Ealing and 2.2x London average)

6 makerspaces (2x London average)

7 textile design spaces (7x Ealing and 7x London average)

International exemplars

Some international cities provide examples of the nature and scale of cultural infrastructure. Ealing could aspire to, given its population size and economic makeup.

Darwin ecosystem, Bordeaux, France © Guide Bordeaux Gironde

Bordeaux, France

Relevance: Well connected to Paris, but a culture hub in its own right with culinary, heritage, and film focus.

Population: 260,000 (urban: 1 million)

Well connected to the cultural scene of Paris by a new high speed train, Bordeaux's investment in culture and transport in the past decade have also made it a place for culture in its own right. Bordeaux's culinary scene is promoted through food festivals, the Bordeaux Independent Film Festival draws filmmakers and artists with a focus on foreign cinema, and museums and galleries and street art create a vibrant arts scene.

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Porto Casa Da Musica, France ©OMA via ArchDaily

Turin Opening Parade ©Murray Foubister via Flickr

Porto, Portugal

Turin, Italy

Relevance: Similar population profile, focus on transforming existing space for cultural use with a music focus.

Population: 230,000 (urban: 1.3 million)

Porto has transformed historic spaces into cultural hubs, repurposing warehouses and factories into galleries and creative studios. This has been enabled by relaxed land use regulations in priority areas for culture, allowing artists and architects to test concepts in underused spaces.

Events like the São João Festival and the Porto International Film Festival have attracted tourists and nurtured artistic communities. The Rem Koolhas-designed Casa da Música, opened in 2005, has become a cultural anchor, hosting world-class concerts and performances and is home of the Porto National Orchestra.

Relevance: Developed cultural infrastructure alongside industrial base, diversified economy to include culture.

Population: 850,000 (urban: 1.7 million)

Turin has successfully developed cultural infrastructure while maintaining a thriving industrial base. Known for its automotive heritage, the city has diversified its economy to include technology, design, and culture. Historic factories have been re-purposed into creative manufacturing space, museums, and cultural centres. It has fostered artist communities, supported contemporary art initiatives and has the largest and most diverse market in Europe.

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- Priority projects for culture - What else will support culture?

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Projects

Hallmark projects for culture

Responding to strategies for meeting audience needs at three scales plus the borough-wide strategy, this Plan recommends Ealing undertake eight projects for culture as its priority.

The projects recommended are organised across the short, medium and long term. Reflecting the council's role in setting the planning and policy conditions to support culture- as a landowner and asset holder and as a key convener of private and institutional partners- the Plan identifies distinct roles the council will play at different timescales.

In the short term, the council has the opportunity to undertake a series of projects itself. This includes interventions within council-owned assets, physical interventions that can be required in emerging policies and further studies and research that the council can commission to support onward development.

In the medium term, the council can forge strategic partnerships to deliver new spaces and buildings. These may require investment, operation and partnership with external stakeholders.

In the long term, projects should be large scale and transformational. The council will play a critical role in strategic direction-setting, coordinating engagement and identifying and attracting funding, but other major partners will need to drive these projects forward.

The recommended hallmark projects are summarised overleaf and profiled across the next several pages. Each of these projects will require partnership working with cultural institutions, operators, landowners, public sector partners, charities, local organisations and sector experts among others.

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Hallmark projects for culture Timelines

Short

Medium

Long

Libraries innovation programme

Ealing festival network

Ealing music city strategy

Southall centre for culture

Creative production land trust

South Asian film festival

Regional park venue

Blended music venue

What else will be needed to support culture?

Ealing Broadway skills hub

Next-gen screen skills centre

Creative outreach programme

High streets production programme Ealing independent cinema network

Cultural space, skills and events Directory

Town centre placemaking

Ealing Cultural Infrastructure Plan

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1. Libraries innovation programme Enhance and activate libraries for multi-functional cultural use

Why is it needed?

In Northolt and Greenford, residents are primarily culturally low-engaged, health poor seniors and young people (Supported Communities) and retirees looking for inexpensive and mainstream local leisure opportunities (Up Our Street). In Southall and Perivale, some suburbanites interested in heritage activities and mainstream arts (Dormitory Dependables) look for cultural activities close to home. Given severance limiting travel for culture in the borough, Ealing needs a robust strategy to embed culture at a hyper-local scale and to protect and provide free or affordable local spaces for cultural production and consumption.

A network of well-located libraries already play a critical role in delivering cost-of-living support and digital skills education across Ealing. A Libraries Innovation Programme would embed cultural space and equipment in libraries in areas with least access to culture. Uses should be determined through consultation and might include artist studio space, makerspace or podcast studios or gallery space. Some spaces might be best operated by socially-oriented operators or charitable trusts, creating new avenues for sustainable financing.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Assess the current library service, understand community needs, and identify areas for innovation together with residents, library staff, and stakeholders in line with current and emerging library strategy and infrastructure delivery plan.

Seek potential partnerships, grants, or central government funding to supplement the programme.

Explore relationships with socially-oriented workspace operators or charities with experience operating creative space and commitment to delivering community good.

Develop a strategic plan outlining specific projects, timelines, and deliverables.

Start with small-scale pilot projects to test new initiatives in Northolt and Greenford. These could involve technology workshops, podcasting equipment, maker spaces, or collaborative events with local schools or businesses.

Ensure digital interventions are not introducing new barriers to exclusion by gathering community feedback.

Based on the success of pilot projects, scale up successful initiatives.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☐☐☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

⚫ ○ ○ ○ ○

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

○○○○○

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

Location

All Ealing libraries should be audited, with a focus on Acton, Greenford, Northolt and Southall Libraries and Dominion Centre

Council teams

Libraries, Regeneration, Strategic Property, Arts and Culture, Events

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Space 4 All Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest has opened a number of pilot spaces for young people aged 11-25 across the borough to explore creative opportunities. Occupying various community centres, church halls and local libraries, this program brings creative services to young residents in their neighbourhoods. The Chingford Space4All youth space is led by the Creative Engagement Services and provides facilities for young people to develop their skills and talent in music production and podcasts and learn how to create their own channel online.

Relevance for Ealing:

Bringing space and equipment for cultural activity to young people within their communities.

Lab central llford

Lab central at Redbridge library in Ilford is an example of library enhancement supported to turbo-charge local cultural engagement through Arts Council England funding. Providing space and resources like 3D printers, coding kits, and multimedia tools, it creates opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration. Diverse workshops spanning coding, virtual reality, and craft are hosted to engage enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.

Relevance for Ealing:

Enhancing an under-used library with equipment and technology to bring new learning and opportunities to disconnected areas.

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2. Ealing festival network

Increase, size, popularity and resilience of festivals and celebrations with public space events infrastructure

Why is it needed?

Significant cultural life takes place in Ealing's parks and on its high streets. Easter celebrations, street processions and celebrations for diaspora communities draw in audiences across the borough engaging with free or low-cost, local, and culturally specific arts and festivals (Kaleidoscope Creativity).

Ongoing development and regeneration in Ealing's town centres presents an opportunity to plan for the infrastructure for these activities from the outset, supporting the groups organising these events to build resilience, profile, and scale as well as accessibility and safety for visitors. High streets and parks within walking distance of stations with good transport connection should be prioritised, to help bring audiences to Ealing from across London and beyond (Commuterland Culturebuffs).

Infrastructure may include pop-up power sources on high streets for A/V, WCs and waterpoints, paved squares, structures for hanging banners, festival equipment storage. In some areas there may also be need for ‘soft’ interventions to support events, such as streamlined permitting and planning processes, licensing and advertising support.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Community engagement to assess specific production and infrastructure needs.

Ensure planning for street-level infrastructure is included in all neighbourhood frameworks and embedded in regeneration plans (see planning note).

Install pop-up power sources, designated areas for stalls, fixtures for hanging banners, and temporary structures to accommodate diverse events.

Inform the local community, event organisers, and businesses about the availability of infrastructure for festivals and celebrations.

Educate stakeholders on accessing and utilising this infrastructure effectively.

Implement borough-wide events training bootcamps, to ensure Ealing residents have access to the skills necessary to support events and celebrations and can benefit from new opportunities.

Collect feedback from event organisers and the community to assess its impact and make necessary improvements.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☐☐☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

☑☑☑☐☐

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

○○○○○

Location

Borough-wide parks, high streets and town centres

Council teams

Regeneration, Licensing, Arts and Culture, Events, Highways, Parks, Licensing

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Event fund Tower Hamlets

The Tower Hamlets event fund is a scheme run by Tower Hamlets Council to support local events and activities organised by community groups, charities, and non-profit organisations in the borough. The fund is designed to encourage and assist community-led events that enhance the cultural, social, and economic life of Tower Hamlets. The support provided can cover any aspect of event organisation, including financial assistance, marketing, venue hire, equipment rental, and infrastructure such as stalls or banners.

Relevance for Ealing:

Providing support for community-led festivals and celebrations.

Lockwood Way Waltham Forest

Lockwood Way industrial estate hosts a vibrant event scene, bolstered by pop-up infrastructure. Event support infrastructure includes dynamic pop-up power facilities, enabling seamless connectivity for stalls, lighting, and equipment. This infrastructure enables businesses and community members to host events, creating a vibrant ambiance for festivals, markets, and gatherings.

Relevance for Ealing:

Providing inclusive infrastructure for businesses and groups to create festivals and celebrations.

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3. Ealing music city strategy

Develop a coordinated roadmap to guide future investment in the music ecosystem

Why is it needed?

Ealing's music heritage has significantly shaped its cultural landscape. From the legendary Ealing Club to the home of Marshall amplifiers, Ealing has produced iconic musicians including The Who, Dusty Springfield, Kirsty McColl, The Rolling Stones and Queen and pivotal moments in music history.

Ealing has potential to harness the social and economic benefits of its music heritage and current ecosystem. Cities around the world are assigning importance to these advantages and working with their music communities to consolidate and accelerate the growth of the music economy.

For Ealing, this would require coordinated strategic action to guide investment in new venues and initiatives and to raise the external profile of Ealing's music heritage. The protection and promotion of small venues across the current music landscape will also be important to ensure efforts are joined-up across the borough to support local talent and respond directly to current industry trends. The result could be an established pipeline for new venues and initiatives which would drive footfall and spending in town centres, grow industry jobs, attract talent and promote music tourism.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Establish networks with local music stakeholders so that they can be effectively engaged and mobilised to contribute to the strategy.

Determine the budget, resources and potential funding sources required to develop and implement the strategy effectively. This might involve seeking partnerships with businesses, cultural organisations, or seeking grants.

Engage experts to develop music strategy in cooperation with relevant council teams and with robust sector engagement.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☑☑☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

☐☐☐☐☐

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

Location

Borough-wide

Council teams

Regeneration, Strategic Property, Arts and Culture, Major Projects, Licensing

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Croydon music city Croydon

Croydon music city is the response to findings from extensive ongoing consultation with musicians, venues, audiences and stakeholders and research from Sound Diplomacy. The initiative is working to develop, support and nurture Croydon's music ecosystem to ensure that it is a place where music and music production is at the heart of the local economy, that encourages and nurtures emerging talent.

Relevance for Ealing:

Strategising to join up local music ecosystem, building on music heritage and bring new investment in music programmes and spaces.

City of music Seattle, USA

Seattle is a renowned city for music and has since 2008 positioned itself as a music city. Its proactive approach to fostering a music scene and preserving a music legacy has included a combination of supportive policies, grassroots initiatives, and promoting its rich musical heritage. This has been coordinated through the Seattle music commission and office of film and music and delivered via the city of music 2020 vision. Policies prioritise music education and preservation of historic venues, and streamline permit processes for live performances.

Relevance for Ealing:

Provide multi-level support for music-related activities.

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4. Southall centre for culture

Showcase local cultural narratives through new cross-art-form cultural centre

Why is it needed?

Much of Southall's rich and unique culture and history is under-documented, including the historic soundsystem culture, local Sikh film-making, a world-renowned culinary scene, local clothing manufacturing and Punjabi theatre and radio stations. A place for gathering and celebration, festivals and events also bring thousands of people to Southall year on year. New smaller scale and privately organised religious-led celebrations and pop-up events provide a rich cultural offer for mixed-age residents (Kaleidoscope Creativity). Currently these activities are happening in dispersed locations, and a shortage of spaces to hire is a barrier to celebrating under one roof.

Southall is also subject to significant change. Major regeneration schemes will bring new audiences, who are likely to be affluent young professional and keen consumers of culture (Commuterland Culturebuffs). Transport links will connect Southall with liberal urbanities interested in a wide spectrum of activities (Metroculturals) and highly active and diverse arts engagers willing to travel for new cultural experiences (Experience Seekers). At this inflection point for Southall, there is an opportunity to create a celebratory space to showcase the quality and diversity of local culture. This could include gallery space, spaces for film screenings and small music and performing arts showcases and a community kitchen space. A key focus should be on storytelling. This project would raise the profile of local role models in arts and culture to help build accessibility into the arts. It would also act as an anchor for Destination Southall, helping bring in visitors and further consolidate a vision for Southall as a whole.

At this inflection point for Southall, there is an opportunity to create a celebratory space to showcase the quality and diversity of local culture. This could include gallery space, spaces for film screenings and small music and performing arts showcases and a community kitchen space. A key focus should be on storytelling. This project would raise the profile of local role models in arts and culture to help build accessibility into the arts. It would also act as an anchor for Destination Southall, helping bring in visitors and further consolidate a vision for Southall as a whole.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Conduct soft market testing on the use of Southall Manor for cultural use.

Investigate the feasibility of other venues to host cultural centre.

Develop relationships with Southall artists and organisations to better understand need and build coalition.

Identify relevant funding streams for the works needed to bring Southall Manor House into operation as a cultural centre.

Commission a feasibility study for a cultural centre for Southall Manor House

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☐☐☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations. 4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

⚫ ○ ○ ○ ○

Location

Southall's vacant heritage assets, including Southall Manor House and King's Methodist Church, and Young Adult Centre

Council teams

Assets, Regeneration, Arts and Culture

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Institut des cultures d'Islam Paris

The Institut des Cultures d'Islam (ICI) in Paris is a cross-art centre promoting cultural dialogue. Situated in a culturally diverse neighbourhood, it showcases Islamic arts and cultures through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and debates. By bridging contemporary and traditional expressions, including visual arts, music, literature, and theatre, it builds understanding and exchange among different communities.

Relevance for Ealing:

Small scale cross-art form centre with a focus on inter-cultural dialogue.

Rich mix Tower Hamlets

Rich mix is a dynamic cross-art centre showcasing diverse artistic expressions spanning film, music, theatre, dance, and more. It champions cultural diversity by offering a platform for emerging and established artists and facilitating community engagement, celebrating both mainstream and niche art forms. An interdisciplinary approach and commitment to accessibility make it a well-loved hub for a variety of local activities.

Relevance for Ealing:

Small scale cross-art form centre with a focus on diversity and storytelling.

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5. Creative production land trust

Secure long-term position as production powerhouse by safeguarding affordable creative space

Why is it needed?

Next steps

Ealing's strength in cultural production has been enabled by a healthy supply of industrial land and inexpensive workspace suitable for creative production. - Identify demand for affordable creative workspace building of Affordable Workspace Strategy and Industrious Ealing baselines.

Consult with artists, creatives, and stakeholders to align trust goals with community needs and aspirations.

Live music venues and events across the UK are facing increasing challenges as supply chain costs rise. As Ealing expands its music and film consumption ecosystem, securing Ealing's already strong local cultural supply chain infrastructure would also ensure Ealing residents benefit from creative economy growth, allowing creative supply chain jobs to remain in the borough.

Establish a legal entity for the trust, defining its structure, governance, and powers.

Identify and secure funding. This could be from central government, through public-private partnerships, or philanthropy.

Purchase or lease suitable properties for creative use, considering location and accessibility.

Ealing has an opportunity to lead the way in implementing new models to safeguard production space. A land trust model would enable a focus on affordability, long-term tenure and quality of the public realm.

Secure workspace operators as tenants, ensuring affordability, maintenance, and tenant support services.

Negotiate long-term leases either with operators or directly with creative tenants at below-market rates.

Implement strategies for financial sustainability, including rental income, fundraising, and partnership opportunities.

Continuously assess impact, adapt strategies, and report outcomes to stakeholders and funders.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☐☐☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations. 4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

Location

Across Ealing, especially strategic industrial land (SIL) and locally strategic industrial sites (LSIS)

Council teams

Arts and culture, strategic property, regeneration

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Creative land trust London

The Creative land trust preserves affordable workspace for artists and creatives in London by acquiring property and leasing it at below-market rates. They secure buildings through outright purchase of freehold properties or long leases, through planning policies such as Section 106 agreements or community infrastructure levies. All buildings are let to studio providers or groups of artists, securing long-term affordability and creating security for the creative community.

Relevance for Ealing:

A mix of funding streams allows for agility in securing long term space for creative production.

Creative land trust Margate

Margate creative land trust has been established as an independent charity in partnership with local creatives. Seed funding has been secured from central government through the Margate town deal to set up the operation of the organisation; purchase physical space in Margate and provide affordable rents; and deliver community programmes, ensuring that Margate's residents benefit from the creative economy.

Relevance for Ealing:

A model co-created with residents, with initial financial commitment bolstered with national government funding.

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6. Blended music venue

Deliver a new live music venue with co-located rehearsal and education space

Why is it needed?

Compared to other regional, national and international cities, London lacks large conference and exhibition spaces. Designing a versatile venue accommodating various event formats and sizes is vital for the city's long-term sustainability as a cultural attractor. Ealing has an opportunity to provide this.

A multi-purpose venue with different-sized rooms can cater to diverse events, from community gatherings to high-profile live performances, rehearsal studios, exhibitions, photoshoots, and corporate functions. This approach would maximise revenue by offering private hire options on lower-demand days while supporting grassroots community projects on other occasions.

For example, the venue could incorporate two studios (rehearsal and recording) and a gallery space for local and touring exhibitions. Building sufficient facilities such as rest rooms, bars, lounge areas, and space for medical teams could help ensure that audiences are contained within the premises, preventing antisocial behaviour in the venue's vicinity.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Determine a viable site(s) for a new music venue

Commission a feasibility study to assess a viable business model(s) for a new music venue or live music performance infrastructure in Ealing: Understanding and assessing the different operational and financial models that may be owned by LBE for a new music venue or outdoor music infrastructure.

Enlist support to procure a suitable partner or operator. LBE will require an experienced operational partner to successfully launch and manage the music venue or infrastructure on their behalf.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☑☑☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

☐☐☐☐☐

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

Location

Must be within 20-minute walk of transport links

Council teams

Assets, Regeneration

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Hackney church Hackney

Hackney Church in East London, doubles as an active church and enchanting music venue. It accommodates approximately 600 and hosts diverse musical events ranging from intimate gigs to larger-scale concerts. Embracing a flexible operating model enabled by the church, it welcomes collaborations with promoters and artists, offering a platform for live performances across indie, folk, and classical genres.

Relevance for Ealing:

600 capacity music venue operating in an active church.

Omeara London Bridge

An all-inclusive venue for emerging talent, Omeara provides a 320 capacity live space and has bucked the trend of recent venue closures. It is renowned for an intimate atmosphere and unique multi-purpose design. The venue is operated by Ben Lovett, a member of the popular folk-rock band Mumford and Sons. The vision for Omeara was to create a vibrant and intimate music space, showcasing emerging talent and providing a platform for artists welcoming environment.

Relevance for Ealing:

A flexible multi-purpose music, performance and community space which regenerates a heritage asset and is independently operated.

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7. International South Asian film festival Seed a major new festival celebrating local role in global film industry

Why is it needed?

Early investment in event production facilities, a cross-art-form cultural hub, and up-skilling the screen industries could build towards a major international exhibition celebrating South Asian cinema and its value chain.

Hosting a film festival in Ealing could bring many benefits for residents. It would further foster and embed civic pride in local heritage. The festival would attract diverse audiences, drawing in filmmakers, artists, and enthusiasts from around the world, boosting tourism and local businesses. Ealing’s cultural profile would elevate significantly, establishing it as a hub for cinematic arts and cultural exchange. Moreover, the festival could ignite collaborations between local talents and international filmmakers, encouraging creativity and networking in the industry.

Through screenings, workshops, and discussions, a festival would provide educational opportunities and exposure to new perspectives, enriching the community culturally and artistically.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Liaise and network with Ealing's screen networks.

Identify opportunities and pathways for external funding from organisations such as the British Council.

Identify local groups and organisations to lead festival organisation.

Explore partnerships with organisations such as The British Council, Bradford National Science & Media Museum, Tongues on fire, London Indian film festival, Ealing film festival.

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

⚫ ⚫ ○ ○ ○

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

☑☑☐☐☐

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

☑☑☑☐☐

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

Location

Borough-wide

Council teams

Arts and culture, parks and open spaces

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International independent film festival Bordeaux

Since 2011, the Bordeaux independent film festival has celebrated cinematic artistry and global storytelling. It attracts filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinephiles worldwide. Set against Bordeaux's cultural backdrop, the festival presents a rich programme encompassing international cinema, premieres, retrospectives, and panel discussions.

Relevance for Ealing:

Film festival attracting international audiences.

London Korean film festival London

The London Korean Film Festival is coordinated by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and showcases South Korean cinema, offering a selection of contemporary and classic films across multiple venues in London.

Relevance for Ealing:

Culturally specific film festival bringing international audiences and a range of partners.

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8. Regional park venue

Create an outdoor cultural venue in the new regional park

Why is it needed?

Working closely with residents, community groups, and relevant experts, Ealing Council is seeking to create a new regional park in the borough; the first in west London. Much larger than a standard park (over 400 hectares), most of the park would be open to the public, easily accessible by public transport and managed to a high standard.

This creates a potential setting for residents to access a more varied programme of events, including world-class music, cultural and sporting events.

Cities worldwide are seeing the benefits of major cultural institutions investing in affiliate spaces outside of their city centres, bringing social and economic benefits to communities. In Ealing, residents in Northolt, Greenford Hanwell and Perivale have fewer opportunities to travel for culture, with many looking for inexpensive, mainstream, local leisure opportunities (Up our Street).

Coordinated strategic investment in park infrastructure could raise the profile of Ealing as a place for culture and ensure this emerging opportunity maximises the benefits it can bring to Ealing residents.

Next steps

Key first moves include:

Engage with key stakeholders, including local communities, cultural organisations, environmental groups, and potential funding partners to gather input, assess interests, and address concerns to ensure the project aligns with community needs and expectations.

Identify and secure site.

Develop relationships with cultural institutions with potential for affiliate space.

Identify potential funding sources, such as government grants, private investors, philanthropic organisations, or public-private partnerships.

Commission design studies including feasibility studies and masterplans.

Explore partnerships with cultural institutions such as London symphony orchestra, Royal opera, or The Barbican

Alignment with guiding principles

1. Create a network of cultural venues and facilities that are easy to reach, affordable and accessible for local people.

2. Encourage bottom up, grass-roots cultural activities that address hyper-local needs.

○○○○○

3. Adapt industrial, empty or under-used spaces and buildings for cultural uses, including artists' studios, pop-up shops, exhibition venues and cultural event locations.

○○○○○

4. Utilise the existing and developing transportation network to connect Ealing with West London and beyond.

5. Embrace digital transformation to build a more inclusive and innovative cultural sector.

○○○○●

Location

Within a 20-minute walking from Northolt Mandeville, Greenford, Perivale, Ealing Broadway, Hanwell, Southall Broadway.

Council teams

Parks and Open Spaces, Regeneration, Arts and Culture

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Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Newham

A legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has leveraged the investment and spaces from the games towards embedding culture. A key feature of the park has been attracting major cultural institutions to set up affiliate venues, including Sadlers Wells dance institute and the V&A Museum, both of which have used this new venue to build their presence outside the city centre.

Relevance for Ealing:

Major regional park with anchor affiliate venue.

Rady Shell at Jacobs Park San Diego, USA

Made possible by an agreement between the San Diego symphony and the Unified port of San Diego, this venue fulfils a long term desire for a state-of-the-art venue that also serves as a dynamic public space. This $85 million project stands on a 3.7 acre finger of land which reaches from the downtown convention centre into San Diego Bay. The San Diego symphony raised about 96% of the cost of the venue, which also includes adjacent eating and drinking venues.

Relevance for Ealing:

Iconic outdoor performance venue which anchors culture in a prominent regional park.

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Projects

What else will be needed to support culture?

There are also complementary actions that support these eight priority projects.

A. Ealing Broadway skills hub

What

Seed a creative skills hub that links to the retail and experience economy with a focus on new skills and platforms for creative experience and interactive leisure.

Why

Ealing Broadway is currently a gathering place for young audiences. There is a need for skills, training and informal networking opportunities for creative entrepreneurs.

Where

Ealing Broadway

B. High streets production programme

What

Unlock vacant high street retail premises as spaces for cultural production, encouraging dwell time, cultural tourism and engagement on the high street. Implement a management programme to bring spaces to use and embed a sustainable operator model.

Why

Vacancy is relatively high across Ealing's town centres, and there is an opportunity to activate these vacant spaces for use by artists for creative production.

Where

High Streets borough-wide, focus on Hanwell and Ealing

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C. Cultural space and skills directory

What

Create and promote a cultural workspace and skills directory to build knowledge of and accessibility to infrastructure and talent, building on BEAT and workspace directory Good for Ealing.

Why

Ealing's artists and creatives report a difficulty joining-up efforts and finding available space and partnerships. A live digital catalogue would consolidate borough-wide networking efforts and match skills with opportunities and talent with space.

Where

Borough-wide

SHAPESLewisham

Search Lewisham's creatives

D. Next-gen screen skills centres

What

Create a series of future of film and media hubs which position Ealing as a centre for next generation screen skills.

Why

There are significant skills gaps across the screen industries and the sector is not re-skilling to keep pace with the current or future need. A few initiatives are currently seeking to fill these gaps, including Film London and Screenskills. There is an opportunity to provide the fit-for-purpose spaces needed for these activities.

Where

Ealing, Acton, Hanwell

E. Ealing independent cinema network

What

Convene a new independent cinema network for the borough, re-positioning re-furbished assets to support new screen trends.

Why

Ealing Studios' refurbishment could be re-furbished Ealing Studios as a catalyst for screen culture across the Borough, linking with Act One and Ealing Project. Coordinated strategic action to guide investment and support for film will raise the external profile and ensure initiatives are joined-up.

Where

Borough-wide

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F. Town centre placemaking

What

Embed culture in town centre placemaking using lights, graphics and landmarks, with artists at the heart of transformation. This could include a public art programme linking with borough-wide themes of cultural narratives. Thematic heritage-based wayfinding would establish and promote cultural destinations.

Why

There is a need for better wayfinding and quality of place in Ealing's unique town centres and an opportunity to embed culture as part of this to strengthen Ealing's image as a creative place.

Where

Town centres borough- wide, including heritage-led regeneration opportunities at Wharncliffe Viaduct, Marshall Building, St Bernards Chapel, Acton St Mary's, King's Methodist.

Hal

G. Creative outreach programme

What

Create a satellites outreach programme, taking creative activity to estates and schools in neighbourhood areas, focusing on those communities who are least likely to engage with the creative economy.

Why

Cultural and creative education promotes artistic expression, enhance social skills and wellbeing, and helps deliver skills for a variety of employment tracks. This initiative would cultivate a vibrant cultural ecosystem for future generations.

Where

Borough-wide

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05 Next steps

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05. Next steps

What to do next

There are short, medium and long-term interventions Ealing can make to embed culture. These should be supported by some critical first moves.

All actions will require decisive action by the council, but with the support and structured engagement of Ealing's creative and cultural communities, businesses and other key public and private stakeholders.

What Ealing should do next

Commission and deliver a music strategy for the London Borough of Ealing

A music strategy helps to identify how best to support artists and musicians, enabling them to thrive in the music ecosystem, and fostering a collaborative environment that the whole community can partake in. This includes recommendations for how music can enliven high streets and town centres in Ealing, improve brand strategy, increase talent attraction and retention, drive visitation and establish Ealing regionally and nationally.

Commission and deliver Feasibility Assessments for new venues

The council needs to know with certainty which sites within the borough may provide viable options for new venues. In the case of music venues, a feasibility assessment would help determine a viable site(s) for a new venue (indoor) or live music performance infrastructure (outdoor) in Ealing. For all cultural infrastructure, feasibility testing must include assessments of viable business models, an understanding and assessment of the different operational and financial models and identifying and procuring suitable partners and operators.

Identify and secure funding for project development

Many of the projects identified in the cultural infrastructure plan will require significant onward funding to launch. Ealing must identify early possible funding streams and their suitability for the key projects.

Programme development

Ealing should continue cultural community engagement to establish maximum impact for further work, business cases, feasibility studies and work with partner organisations.

Undertake active dialogue with potential partners

Ealing should begin conversations and negotiations with stakeholders to advance the next steps of priority projects.

What partners should do next

Delivery partners, including developers and cultural institutions, will play a crucial role in supporting Ealing to deliver the recommended projects.

Engage in collaborative dialogue with the local authority

Developers can integrate cultural spaces within new projects. This can involve allocating spaces for theatres, galleries, or community arts centres within residential or commercial developments.

Offer financial contributions or in-kind support to fund projects

Institutional partners interested in contributing to Ealing's cultural landscape can fund construction, maintenance, or renovation of cultural infrastructure. This can involve providing grants, sponsoring cultural events, or investing in the development of cultural facilities.

Leverage expertise

Potential partners with interest in projects can provide access to resources like collections for exhibitions or share expertise developed through previous work in Ealing or elsewhere.

Make priorities for culture known

Creative and cultural communities should continue to engage the council on their priorities for cultural space and equipment. The recommendations of this plan provide a framework and set of projects for the creative community to continue to actively shape.

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London

Unit 21 Tower Workshops 58 Riley Road London SE1 3DG

+44 (0)20 7252 3400

Manchester

Jactin House 24 Hood Street Ancoats Manchester M4 6WX

+44 (O)161 9743206

studio@wemadethat.co.uk wemadethat.co.uk

We Made That LLP is registered in England and Wales. Reg no. OC367789

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