Issue - meetings

Report of Director of Regeneration and Planning

Lead Cabinet member: Councillor James MacCleary

(Key decision):

(1) To allocate £10,000 to explore the feasibility of Meanwhile Use Leases for the temporary use of Council assets, subject to statutory, legislative and building constraints.

(2) To formally adopt the South East Creative Economy Network’s (SECEN) approach to defining affordable workspace.

(3) To commit to exploring the potential to facilitate the development of new, affordable ‘open workspace within Lewes District.

(4) To note that the Council’s Regeneration service continues to work closely with Locate East Sussex and other partner agencies to ensure they continue to collaborate effectively with South East Creative Cultural and Digital Support (SECCADS) and the creative sector.

(5) That Cabinet adopts a position statement formalising the Council’s commitment to supporting the growth of creative industries.

(6) To commit all services across the Council to raising awareness of available business support provision across Lewes District.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Regeneration and Planning presenting the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel Review into the need for affordable workspace across the Lewes District.

Resolved (Key decision):

(1) To allocate £10,000 to explore the feasibility of Meanwhile Use Leases for the temporary use of Council assets, subject to statutory, legislative and building constraints.

(2) To formally adopt the South East Creative Economy Network’s (SECEN) approach to defining affordable workspace.

(3) To commit to exploring the potential to facilitate the development of new, affordable ‘open workspace within Lewes District.

(4) To note that the Council’s Regeneration service continued to work closely with Locate East Sussex and other partner agencies to ensure they continued to collaborate effectively with South East Creative Cultural and Digital Support (SECCADS) and the creative sector.

(5) That Cabinet adopts a position statement formalising the Council’s commitment to supporting the growth of creative industries.

(6) To commit all services across the Council to raising awareness of available business support provision across Lewes District.

Reasons for decisions:

(1) To re-affirm the Council’s commitment to Growth and Prosperity, with specific reference to the local creative sector.

(2) To build upon the extensive strategic collaborative work already underway by SECEN and SECCADS within the SELEP area, which the Council was committed to supporting and working with. This was with a view to addressing barriers for creative industries, including the shortage of appropriate workspace, and specialist business support / advice.

(3) To recognise that Meanwhile Use Leases can offer benefits to both the Council and the local economy, but that such uses may have an opportunity cost attached should higher value uses come forward.

(4) To ensure that existing external agencies and partners were aware of the needs of all aspects of the district’s diverse economy to ensure the Council could support delivery of commercial property solutions for the creative sector.