Well, we met the target, and more: over 1900 signatures in a month. This has been very heartening and shows how many people recognise that art is important to the life of the city. I’m presenting the petition to Brighton & Hove City Council’s Economic Development & Culture Committee on 10 January. I get to make a three minute presentation outlining our case – not much time considering it’s such a large issue, hence I’ve submitted an additional document before the meeting. This highlights the fact that there is already a shortage of affordable workspace in the city; asks that where artists’ studios are displaced by development the council works to ensure alternative spaces are made available; and highlights the benefits of an active and thriving artists’ community for the city.
Once I’ve said my piece the Chair, Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, will respond. But how? It’s too early to say. As far as a decision goes, since the original plans that would have directly affected APEC studios have been withdrawn (though developers will be working on a new planning application), what we’re asking for is going to be part of a longer process.
I’m hoping the petition and presentation will be the start of a much longer dialogue with the council and developers. The point of this campaign is not just to get one development company to rethink a somewhat unimaginative proposal based on retail and high density housing, but for artistic production (a key word) to be recognised and supported at city level within the local development framework in terms of its value and its specific needs; that while creative producers may not be able to pay rents set at commercial levels, we give a lot to the communities we are part of, and this may be more valuable in the long term than higher rents. The city council already recognises art as important to the region in its City Plan, but how this recognition is made concrete is still to be seen.
If we’re successful, we want a better definition of the term ‘affordable’, based not on rents paid by creative industries (the current definition), but on those affordable by creative producers such as artists and craftspeople. The notion of ‘creative industries’ is actually quite damaging to artists as, by lumping us under the same umbrella with other professions including PR companies and advertising agencies, what artists need and have to offer gets buried. These distinctions need to be discussed in more detail.
We also want better communication about developments: one of the worst things about this whole process has been the way developers showed no interest in the communities they intended to displace. Misinformation surrounding the proposed development of APEC’s site has had a profoundly negative impact on all our abilities to make art. Good communication means involving artists more in planning processes at earlier stages, not just because we want somewhere to work, but also because we can provide alternative insights into the way communities interact. We’d like the council to implement section 106 agreements which specify studio and workshop spaces as part of future development proposals. There is already a precedent for this, not only in the work that ACME has done in London, but also in several other areas of the UK.
How do I feel about the process? Well apart from the fact it’s driven me mad and I haven’t slept properly for months, I’d recommend every artist gets involved more in local planning and politics. It gives you a much more profound awareness of the issues that need to be addressed by local authorities and their relation to central government policies. The better your understanding, the better you’ll be at being able to respond. There is a phenomenal amount of information publicly available on local authority websites, and if you take the time to read enough of it, you get a much better feeling not only for local policy, but of the competing interests of a wide section of the community, including large businesses.
There is going to be an increasing need for artists to fight their corner. We live in a small, densely populated island where a lot of different sections of the community are competing for the same resources. If the only input local authorities get in response to consultations is from chain stores and other large companies, then these are the only views that are going to be represented. It’s no good just sitting back and complaining – we have to do something about it, and this has to be positive, unemotional, and, by being backed up by research, compelling.
If you really want to make a difference, don’t wait until the plans have been submitted – try to influence the local development framework that developers have to adhere to. I’ve been really impressed by how much local councillors across all parties have been willing to offer advice and support. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to get what we want, but I have got the feeling that local government are only too pleased to see members of the public wanting to be more involved.
More on a-n.co.uk:
Artists’ campaigns on a-n News.
Liverpool art spaces in need of relief – decisions on business rates relief threaten the future of studio and gallery spaces in Liverpool.
Studios – a collection of articles and resources relating to artists and the spaces they work in, including guides to setting up a studio group and profiles of studio spaces around the country.
