AT chats to Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture and creative industries, about Creative Land Trusts, how new cultural venues are being established in London, and the efforts being made to aid cultural preservation.

(Credit: Greater London Authority)

You’ve installed some of London’s best new cultural venues in the east (ABBA Voyage, V&A East, London College of Fashion, etc.). What’s the cultural future for the centre, in the City of London?
We say culture is our DNA in London, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say our city runs on creative energy. Culture is our identity, it’s the story we tell about ourselves internationally. For many people their first introduction with London is through a film or through the virtual world of a game. But it’s also important for our economy – as an industry it generates £51 billion a year for us and one in every five jobs is a creative one.

Culture is happening in every corner of the capital and the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture has been shining a spotlight on culture in local boroughs. Historically there has been a concentration of culture in the centre, but there is also real creative growth and dynamism in east London. A major part of the vision for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was to use it as a catalyst to open up opportunity in east London – through homes, transport, sport and culture. Five years ago, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan set out a vision to create a new culture and education powerhouse for our capital at Queen Elizabeth Park. So it’s a real privilege to see that vision taking shape, and to see culture remaining at the heart of the legacy in such an ambitious way, with incredible projects like Abba Voyage and East Bank building on the existing cultural story of the area.

The City of London has been playing a really important role in London’s cultural story for hundreds of years, and it’s a story that continues to evolve. As well as being home to the Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London, there is also a burgeoning creative economy in the square mile. The Mayor of London and the City co-sponsor the Museum of London and we are all excited to see the new Museum of London take shape at West Smithfield. It will tell the fascinating story of our city and attract visitors from across the globe.

Why is it important Smithfield Market serve as a new cultural venue? With the Museum of London set to arrive here, what else can we expect to act as a catalyst for cultural regeneration here?
Everywhere you look in the City, there are reasons to be excited about arts and culture. As well as the new Museum of London, the Barbican continues to be one of the world’s most important cultural institutions. A striking architectural home for ground-breaking exhibitions, music and performance. The current Barbican Renewal plans will mean future generations can continue to enjoy the arts at the Barbican for years to come and bring underused creative spaces into use.

Our Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield is a really exciting development, bringing fashion into the story of the city. It will give the next generation of fashion creatives vital space at Smithfield Market with the support they need to grow their businesses to the next level. Creativity in the city is an evolving and exciting story.

The ABBA Voyage arena in east London. (Credit: Arne Müseler / Wikipedia Commons)

Why does Sadiq Khan believe culture is a “top priority”? How much persuading do you have to do?
Sadiq really understands and champions the power of culture in London. He needs no persuading on its importance and the role it can play in driving our economy and the value it brings to our communities across the capital.

Since he became Mayor, Sadiq has raised the ambition for culture in London. He established the London Borough of Culture which has reached thousands of Londoners, set out the vision for, and invested in, East Bank, which will be the largest new culture and education district in the capital in over 150 years. His Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm is shifting the dial on representation in our public spaces, with a memorial to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and a memorial to honour those affected by HIV/AIDS in the pipeline.

Less well known is the step change he has led in increasing affordable creative workspace, re-zoning the capital with twelve innovative Creative Enterprise Zones, which are on track to deliver 72,000 sqm of permanent affordable space. His record on culture speaks for itself and he’s always open to new ideas.

Heaven (the nightclub) is under threat with a landlord raising its rent. Cultural venues being in the heart of London are important. How can we safeguard their future?
We know that the past few years have been really difficult for nightclubs, particularly with covid and the cost of living crisis and problems with recruitment as a result of Brexit.

During the pandemic we set up the Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, investing £2.3m, and providing venues such as nightclubs and grassroots music venues at risk of closure with dedicated advice and guidance.

We’ve also introduced the Agent of Change principle in the Mayor’s London Plan, which is the most pro-culture plan we have ever seen in the capital. It puts the onus on developers to mitigate against noise in new buildings and ensures venues are safeguarded as part of London’s unique culture and heritage.

Cultural venues, including nightclubs, are a really important part of London’s cultural fabric and we’ll continue to work with them as closely as possible through challenging economic times.

As well as helping protect nightclubs, we’re also helping new venues open in London too. Last year we saw Drumsheds open its doors in Tottenham Hale, working with all parties involved to make this happen. And we’ve recently been buoyed by the news that Printworks has submitted new plans for a permanent home, working closely with the with the owner and operator to secure a new venue.

Many tourists come to London for our vibrant music and nightlife scene and we’re doing all we can to keep it that way.

Can you tell us more about Creative Land Trusts?
We are really proud of our status as a world cultural capital, but it’s something we can’t take for granted. We need creatives to be able to put down roots in London and continue to contribute to our success. Unfortunately it’s not been so easy to access affordable space and secure studio leases, so addressing this issue is critical for London. One of the things we did was set up a Creative Land Trust with the goal of protecting London’s artists and the spaces they use from the pressures of unstable leases and rising rents. The Trust buys buildings to secure them for the future and then populate them by working with London’s amazing studio providers who all have long waiting lists.

Its first permanent building opened in March 2023, the fantastic Wallis Road in Hackney Wick which also happens to be in a Creative Enterprise Zone. The 33,000sqft building is providing 180 long-term affordable workspaces for 400 artists. And there are two further buildings, Alice Billings House in Stratford and Friary Park in Acton which will be opening later this year.

But we want the Trust to go even further and have set the ambitious goal of securing affordable studio space for over 1,000 artists across London. Like with Studio Smithfield, these are the innovation spaces we need to keep London at the forefront of creativity.