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Cardiff 1. Report

CIED - First Report by Cardiff

End of May 1997 Tim Levenson

In order to have a first resume of activities undertaken sofar, every partner is asked to complete the following questions and fill in the tables, so that co-ordination can prepare the First Report as well as commence evaluation.

1. What kind of activities have you started locally?

2. Which one(s), if any have been completed? If so, state outcome.

3. Are there any activities which you would have liked to start, but did not?

Name the reason why not (e.g. lack of funds/difficulty in getting started)

No

4. Evaluation by every partner of the other partners and project as a whole?

The usefulness/outcome of the Volos meeting was:-

  1. Provided an understanding of other projects and their cultural context
  2. Identified common elements

Common elements need to be agreed and form the basis of horizontal activities - a programme for which needs to be established.

Evaluation of other Partner's Projects

Volos/Galway

Both Volos and Galway seek to develop the use of culture as the prime

tourist attraction. This raises the issues such as:-

Leipzig

The Leipzig proposal is ambitious because of the highly competitive sector it is intending to attract i.e., multi-media/media industry. This raises issues:

Palermo

The use of the Ducrot factory for a cultural centre raises the following issues:-

Evaluation of the Project as a Whole:

See comments on cross cultural paper by Phil Cooke in letter of 29 April 1997.

5. It was decided at the First Steering Committee Meeting that an evaluation sheet shall be completed by everyone. Please do so.

CIED Project

What do you want to get out of the project?

What do you think your local pilot project can contribute

evaluation and relation to other partners

outcome expected, results obtained: real value

Volos

Cardiff

Successful attraction of firms to Coal Exchange/

Mount Stuart Square as key element of cultural quarter?

Valuable research and user-group knowledge and information

The focus on multi-media/ cultural activities and the re-use of buildings links the project closely to Palermo/

Leipzig

See response to box 1 and question 1 above

Galway

Palermo

Leipzig

co-ordination

6. Describe set-up of local cultural committee:

Main person responsible:

Tim Levenson - Cardiff Bay Development Corporation

other members:

University of Wales/Cardiff County
Council/Arts Council for Wales/ Cardiff
and Vale Enterprise/Cardiff Bay Business
Forum/Local Multi-media Firms (Siriol Ltd. and The Design Stage).

Activity Reports of local meetings/work done:

Two meetings held - minutes attached.

Main outcome to date:

  1. Consultant Study to be set up for Cultural Quarter Action Plan
  2. Survey of cultural/multi-media industry

7. Activity Report (4 pages)

As follow-up of 6, here you should refer to the actual work done and outcomes obtained so far. Naturally the previous 6 questions can be used as basis for your activity report.

For sake of clarification:

 

8. Cultural Calendar

Some clarification is needed on that, since some of you are not sure if we

are commited to produce one or not. Following things can be said:

Thus two things are interrelated, your definition of culture, and how you make use of it, since almost all of you wish to implement things which give or retain a 'cultural character' of a place, e.g. revival of rivers, channels in response to little public spaces in Galway or else local craftsmanship in Volos as user group for the brick factory, so that it is a complex issue what components to bring together, to whom to give space for activities, while identifying who is a more likely carrier of local identity. At the First Steering Committee meeting many different actors were named, e.g. Palermo - the example of cafes and usage of sidewalks and squares free of taxes if local shop owners would hire artists for performances, whereby artists range from amateurs to heavy profis.

It seems of interest to know what mixture of place, time, actors, carriers etc. are outcomes of planned possibilities for cultural expressions transformed institutionally into declared intentions to promote and to encourage particular components of that specific culture, e.g. in Galway the Celtic. By comparison, musical theatre in Volos means all kinds of music being played, so that emphasis is given to a rich variety while wishing to reach world fame through very specific, high quality cultural actions. Hence cultural identity is also in practical terms your definition of what is needed and how you think this can happen or be achieved.

Summer Cultural Calendar attached (shall be printed in the Newsletter)

9. Cultural Inventory

By indicating the number of theatres, kinds of museums, galleries, mixture of private and public cultural spaces etc., you are preparing the grounds for a decision making process involving planning and conceptualization of your local project. Through the inventory it is possible to evaluate already a bit how your local project shall fit or not into the existing cultural landscape. This decision making process will have to be mapped somehow openly in order to make possible any kind of evaluation, i.e. did you make user studies like Cardiff prior to designing the future multi-media centre. It is also an indication to what extend the local cultural committee facilitates decision making processes by the local authorities.

Mount Stuart Square Users Group

Note of Meeting held on Monday 20 January 1997
Present: Ann Beynon CBDC
  Tim Levenson CBDC
  Jonathan Cornelius CBDC
  Martin Scherer Cardiff Bay Business Forum
  Phil Cooke CASS
  Richard Staniforth Sirol mm Ltd.
  Danielle Wigham Cardiff County Council
  Yvette Vaughan Jones Arts Council for Wales
Apologies: Mike Sweet The Design Stage

1. Objectives of the Group

These were agreed.

2. Cultural Quarter Concept

"From Coal to Culture" paper circulated which sets out current CBDC views on what is meant by a cultural quarter (CQ). It was generally accepted that a CQ is an appropriate theme or concept for the Mount Stuart Square area. Key points to arise from discussion are:

3. Update on Proposed Refurbishment of the Coal Exchange

It was agreed that this was the key to establishing the cultural quarter. An update on progress was given, the current situation being that a potential developer was following up possible pre-lets and was due to come back to the Corporation by the end of January with a detailed proposal. If this proved not to be satisfactory, then it was likely that the development opportunity would be marketed early in the next financial year.

4. CIED: European Community Project on Culture and Economic Development

The aims of this project which the European Commission have approved but which still awaited a formal offer of grant were outlined; benefits arising were access to good practise and the chance to promote the Mount Stuart Square cultural quarter concept in Europe. A practical outcome would be the use of a University Researcher for a research questionnqire on the multimedia/cultural industry (see below).

5. Multimedia/Cultural Industry Questionnaire

This would establish both the demand for a refurbished Coal Exchange as a Multimedia/Cultural Activity Centre and the attraction of being in a cultural quarter.

A draft questionnaire had been circulated for comments.

Main points:

(a) The liste of companies/organisations to send the questionnaire to should

include:-

(b) Information on rentals that firms are prepared to pay (within bands) should be obtained.

(c) Broader question on attractions, facilities and amenities that would be expected in the area should be included.

It was suggested that the research activity should identify existing cultural and multimedia activities with regard to local business development opportunities. Databases available for the list of firms should include that held by the Arts Council. NB Revised draft attached to these minutes for further comment before the next meeting.

6. Way forward

It was agreed that a suggested action plan to promote the cultural quarter concept would be put forward by CBDC for discussion at the next meeting.

7. Date of Next Meeting

It was agreed that the date of the next meeting would be 3 p.m. on Monday 24 February at Baltic House.

TL/KB/098 3 February 1997

Mount Stuart Square Users Group

Note of Meeting held on Monday 17 March 1997
Present Tim Levenson CBDC
  Martin Scherer Cardiff Bay Business Forum
  Phil Cooke CASS
  Gwawr Hughes CASS
  Danielle Wigham Cardiff County Council
  Yvette Vaughan Jones Arts Council for Wales
  Adrian Walker Cardiff and Vale Enterprise

1. Cultural Quarter Action Plan

1.1 A synopsis of the proposed action plan was circulated. It was agreed that consultants should be appointed to produce an Action Plan identifying a range of proposals, from events to local business development initiatives, to promote Mount Stuart Square as a cultural quarter.

1.2 The main points to arise with regard to the synosis were:

(1) The Study Area should be expanded to include the area west of Mount Stuart Square to Dumballs Road; the width of James Street; the area north of Mount Stuart Square and west of Bute Street which backs onto the existing residential area.

(2) Proposals should in addition include:

1.3 It was agreed that a draft brief would be circulated for comment by the next meeting of the users group.

1.4 Possible consultants identified were:

2. Coal Exchange Update

2.1 It was looking increasingly likely that the Coal Exchange redevelopment/ refurbishment opportunity would be marketed early in the 1997/98 financial year. A detailed proposal had still not been received from a potential developer with whom discussions have been taking place.

2.2 It was reported that the Dance Centre proposal was unlikely to proceed. There was still interest from a substantial pre-let but progress depended on identifying a developer.

3. Cultural Innovation and Economic Development

3.1 The European Community Project on the above (CIED) had been approved by the European Commission (Article 10: Cultural Cooperation and Economic Development). The first steering group meeting was shortly to be held in Volos, Greece. The promotion of the Coal Exchange as a multi media centre as a focus for a cultural quarter based on Mount Stuart Square, was the UK's representative case study. The other countries involved are Ireland, Greece, Italy and Germany.

3.2 Part of the CIED project includes a survey of the multi media/cultural industry in S.E. Wales. A draft questionnaire had been circulated for discussion at the meeting.

The questionnaire was considered in detail at the meeting. It was intended to:

3.3 It was noted that the WDA were also currently approaching firms in this sector.

It was agreed that CBDC should liaise with the WDA to ensure that firms were not being approached at the same time.

4. Date of the next meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting would be at 3pm on Monday 19 May at Baltic House.

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