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Cultural Strategy

In July 2008 the PUSH commissioned a Cultural Strategy for South Hampshire. PUSH asked the consultants employed to review the strengths and weaknesses of our arts, sporting and recreational offer and suggest where, by working together, PUSH authorities and partners could help make improvements and realise opportunities.

Cultural Strategy  410Kb

Cultural Strategy Summary  147Kb

The Strategy led to the PUSH identifying seven key themes as the basis for our future work. These themes were endorsed by the Joint Committee in December 2008

• Developing Excellence – a joint commitment by local authorities and other key partners to supporting and developing the sub-region’s centres of cultural excellence, including:

• World class cultural offer (notably the sporting facilities at the Rose Bowl, Portsmouth/Gosport as Home of the Royal Navy and Southampton’s emerging Cultural Quarter)

• Nationally/regionally significant cultural offer (for example The Point as a centre for dance and performance, Southampton and Portsmouth Football Clubs or The Mayflower Theatre)

• Locally significant facilities and activities (such local arts centres or sports facilities serving part or all of the PUSH community)

Under this theme, PUSH will offer its support to a variety of facilities and activities, which would in turn attract support from funding bodies. It provides a framework for PUSH authorities to focus on supporting key facilities, or seeking to fill gaps in provision.

• Promoting Access for All – ensuring all facilities are accessible to all sections of the community, and that the community is aware of the wide cultural offer.

A key priority for PUSH is ensure equality of opportunity for all our diverse communities, and this and the following theme on participation are intended to recognise the role culture can play in improving social and physical well-being.

Work already begun on a ‘cultural audit’ offers the basis for a web-based information service, which should be part of a broader collective approach to providing information and enhancing access to facilities and activities for all sectors of the community.

• Promoting Participation for All – encouraging participation in all forms of cultural activity. The ‘Find your talent’ pilot supported by PUSH is an early example of the joint initiatives possible which bring culture into our diverse communities.

• Advocacy – ensuring that the case for culture being at the heart of sustainable communities is made to local authorities, developers and other key stakeholders. It will be particularly important to embed culture in our planning framework, and work is being commissioned on how s.106 Developer Contributions can be best used to promote cultural activity.

• Creating Quality Places – ensuring the highest standards of urban design are adopted in existing and new settlements.

The Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment are already working with PUSH to develop a consistent approach to design within the local planning framework, and PUSH has also worked with the Solent Centre for Architecture & Design and planning colleagues to develop a programme of design training, now being delivered.

• Supporting the Creative and Cultural Economy – ensuring the conditions exist to allow creative and cultural businesses to thrive and contribute to PUSH’s economic vision, a task undertaken alongside colleagues on the Economic Delivery Panel. PUSH is working closely with Hampshire Economic Partnership’s Creative Industries Task Group on this topic. PUSH has already agreed support funding to Creative Industries Business Advice Service (CIBAS) – a specialist service based in Portsmouth, whose services will be rolled-out across the sub-region. The University of Portsmouth have been particularly active in promoting creative industries, and they are working alongside PUSH.

• Supporting the Visitor Economy – ensuring that the economic and cultural potential of visitors to the sub-region is fully recognised. The Strategy has identified particular opportunities for more integrated marketing and management of key aspects of the visitor offer already within the sub-region, as well as supporting the development of existing and new opportunities.

These themes were used to guide the programmes and projects which were outlined in the revision of the PUSH Business Plan for 2009/10.