Plymouth businesses will be able to receive financial help with their rates, utilities and shop fit outs as part of a £150,000 scheme to allow artists and creatives to bring unused shops, buildings and urban areas back to life.
The innovative project will start by focusing on the city centre, revitalising units not in commercial use, but will spread to high street areas around Plymouth.
The scheme - known as - aims to make use of empty spaces until they are commercially occupied and will give a platform to cultural initiatives by the city’s creative community and bring artistic projects to the city centre.
It could mean an exhibition popping up in an empty shop unit in the city centre or an interactive experience appearing on an unused area of a high street.
It is being spearheaded by Plymouth Culture, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth City Centre Company and - specialists in unlocking the potential of empty spaces.
The project helps landlords and owners make use of their spaces by putting them into use, driving footfall and supporting the costs of rates.
For the creative community it would help with a space where the lease and insurance are taken care of while providing a base to cultural opportunities that simply wouldn’t otherwise exist.
More than £150,000 has been secured in funding for pop-up initiatives, as well as helping fund costs such as rates, utilities and shop fit outs.
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The Meanwhile Use space will be made available rent free. Creative businesses can apply for funding of up to £4,000 to support the project delivery costs including: production, staffing, insurance, marketing, evaluation, and other associated costs.
Additional funding will be allocated by the project team to support the cost of rates and utilities once a unit has been identified.
Rates vary depending on the size and location of the premises but businesses may be eligible for rate discounts, for example charities can receive an 80% reduction in rates.
Full details of rates and utility costs will be budgeted if the project is selected and once the location is identified, and will be additional to the £4,000 support for project delivery. Proposals may relate to the following themes in “a creative way”: heritage, wellbeing, environment, community access, social enterprise, skills and jobs, education.
In addition to project funding, there will be support by a project co-ordinator from Plymouth Culture, who will oversee the programme and help connect projects with potential partners.
Plymouth City Council has supported access to Unit 107 on Cornwall Street to act as a headquarters for the project. This unit will be managed by social enterprise Vacancy Atlas who will curate a rolling programme of Meanwhile Use and pop-up initiatives. Some are already in development through the council’s Your Space scheme.
It is hoped that this will be the first of many spaces to help support artists and creatives, and the partnership has already launched a call for proposals from creative and cultural organisations or individuals who would like to access empty shops to test an idea on the high street.
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The Meanwhile Use programme is funded through Historic England (Heritage Action Zone Culture Programme), Interreg (C-Care) and Plymouth City Council and City Centre Company.
Hannah Harris, chief executive of Plymouth Culture, said: “We are incredibly excited to launch the ‘meanwhile use’ programme and to have this early support from Plymouth City Council to get the initiative off the ground.
“We know from other examples around the country how valuable cultural interventions on the high street can be when it comes to breathing life back into a city.
“The ‘meanwhile use’ initiative is one part of a much wider regeneration programme across the city centre to refurbish buildings, host events and active space with cultural projects.”
Council leader Nick Kelly (Conservative) said: “The high street is changing all the time and we need to look at new ways to keep people coming back to our city centre and local shopping centres to enjoy new experiences.
“More people visiting our shopping areas will help the businesses and keep our city vibrant and interesting. We’re delighted to help with this initiative and I am looking forward to the innovative ideas people submit for our consideration regarding this exciting project.”
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Steve Hughes, chief executive of the Plymouth City Centre Company, said:“ We have been working hard on finding new uses for empty shop units for some time. This partnership will speed up that work, bringing landlords and prospective tenants together and breathing new life into our city centre. Having a base in the West End for Vacancy Atlas was very important to us and we look forward to working closely with all our partners to transform our high street and attract more visitors.”
The programme’s launch comes after the circulation of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (CAAMP) for public consultation, which has highlighted the opportunity for “meanwhile use” to play a valuable role in revising the high street. The plan sets out what makes Plymouth city centre special, its specific character and setting and, crucially, what can be done to manage change and inform decision-making in the future.
Artists can apply to be part of the Meanwhile Use project .