Labour’s plan to ensure active state support for saving and growing Artists’ spaces
Culture can't compete with capitalism
Labour’s plan to ensure active state support for saving and growing Artists’ spaces
Map and match Artists’ demand with the supply of empty space
Establish a new Culture Infrastructure company to actively plan for and ensure the adequate provision of Artist space in the city, following on from examples in Arizona, Sydney and London. Here in Dublin where we have many non-residential state and privately owned long-term vacant buildings, an office vacancy rate in excess of 17% and thousands of mothballed planning applications, the city desperately needs a mechanism to map out appropriate existing vacant space and to connect Artists to developers and landowners. This would be for both meanwhile-use and long term leasing. It would also enforce the new 5% cultural/social planning requirement of all large scale residential developments.
Local Authorities must seize the opportunity to purchase buildings for arts spaces
We want to see a major expansion of the Space to Create scheme with a new set of rules. While the €9m scheme for the Dublin City Council area announced last year is welcome along with the €6m spread across Local Authorities this year, these amounts will deliver a small number of places. We want to see the vision that saw the purchase of Buckingham Fire Station in the 1990’s, which remains to this day the only DCC-Arts Council owned Artist space in Dublin City. The development of the Odlum’s flour depot will be another great example but we need so much more. Labour believes at least €25m is needed for the acquisition of buildings for Artists’ spaces in Dublin.
Supporting Artist to purchase their own space
Artists’ organisations must have the opportunity to purchase their buildings outright. We want to see the introduction of low cost State backed cultural mortgages and loans, specifically targeted at arts organisations and intended for the purchase and/or retrofitting of buildings.
Protecting commercial cultural operations
Existing cultural commercial operations should be able to qualify for protection from change of use. We want to see the introduction of Cultural Conservation Orders on buildings after 20 years of established cultural use. In the event of a proposed change of use or sale, the order would carry significant weight in the planning application assessment.
Funding for licences & leases for emerging Artists’ groups
Emerging Artists’ groups should get specific funding support to take out short term licences and leases as part of programme funding. We want to see the introduction of specific funding streams for the leasing of buildings and an explicit provision on the need for space to create. To date, Arts Council programme funding tends to rely on a lease or licence leading to a chicken and egg scenario whereby without access to a license or lease, Artists are unable to qualify for the funding.
Prioritise culture & social use for long-term vacant buildings
Prioritise cultural and social use for vacant buildings not suitable for residential use. We want a Culture/Social First policy for all public buildingscurrently not in use and/or intended for disposal. It is unconscionable that there is no active estate management policy mandated across all state agencies and state companies, and a culture/social first policy should be compulsory for organisations with unused publicly-owned properties such as the HSE and An Post.
Promoting Artist co-operatives
The creation of Artists’ co-operatives or other formal structures should be promoted. We believe there must be specific financial and administrative supports and incentives to help Artist co-operatives to form to be able to take on leases and manage them over a sustained period of time.