Arts Development

Bath and North East Somerset Council Cultural Facility Feasibility Study

Many local arts and cultural organisations have been involved since August 2006 in the consultation process for the Cultural Facility Feasibility Study.

Following consultation, the scope of the study was expanded, resulting in a final report by ABL Cultural Consulting called ‘Reinventing Bath: a call for leadership and strategic planning to deliver a resort of the future’.

The Council has now published the consultants’ final report, together with supporting documents and appendices. The whole report plus appendices can be found on the Council’s website at:

www.bathnes.gov.uk/future/Bath/Identity+and+Vision/The+DNA+of+Bath/Pleasure+and+culture.htm

This link takes you to the Future for Bath website. Scroll down the page to the hyperlink ‘Cultural Facility Feasibility Study’.

A copy is also available on reference at Bath Central Library.

Background

The study, which was commissioned by the Council with support from Arts Council England-SW and B&NES Initiative, was undertaken by international cultural consultants ABL Cultural Consulting between August 2006 and March 2007. ABL has a strong reputation in the field of local authority cultural planning and cultural development.

The work evolved through thorough consultation with arts, cultural and business organisations, agencies and groups, and other relevant stakeholders and interested bodies. The initial conclusions of the study were tested with a wide audience of local representatives in November 2006 and met with an extremely positive response.

ABL Cultural Consulting have now produced a very thorough, dynamic and thought-provoking report which suggests that the city of Bath has a major opportunity to develop its arts and cultural offer as part of the reinvention of Bath’s identity and reputation on the national and international stage. This work responds to and builds upon the B&NES Community Strategy, the ‘Future for Bath’ Vision, the Ernst and Young Business Plan, and City ID’s ‘Towards a Place Making Strategy’

The report

The report was sent to all those organisations and individuals who participated in the development and consultation process, and ABL Cultural Consulting also presented their findings and recommendations to them at an event held at The Forum on 15 November 2007.

The Council is now publishing the report to enable further debate on its content and ideas, and to ensure that stakeholders are able to express and contribute their views.

The work was commissioned under the previous Council administration and in publishing this report, the Council is not expressing a view, nor making any recommendations, about its content. However, the Council notes the report as a meaningful contribution to the development of the ‘Future for Bath’ Vision www.bathnes.gov.uk/future and emerging planning policy, and we intend to integrate the study with the other Vision implementation studies currently under development, which are due to be completed in the autumn of 2007.

For further information, contact Rhodri Samuel, Western Riverside Regeneration Manager rhodri_samuel@bathnes.gov.uk

Further feasibility work will need to be undertaken on the viability of the proposals, and consequently the Council cannot make any decisions at this stage.