This subject has been raised before. Lewisham have now gone public with this from their website:
Art in empty spaces
Lewisham Arts Service is keen to encourage applications from local residents who want to transform vacant shops and spaces into temporary art galleries, installations and areas of creative activity.
Similarly, the location managers at the Lewisham Film Office aim to help film companies set up short-term production offices in empty premises.
In partnership with economic regeneration and the Town Centre Management teams, we are working to coordinate an integrated strategy for:
rent and landlords
insurance
utilities
health and safety
To find out more, please contact the Arts Special Projects Officer on 020 8314 7733.
Using Empty Shops for Art
dickp, with respect, you may have noticed the mother of all recessions is currently with us and there are not queues of retailers looking to open branches anywhere, let alone on our high street as it is now. I visited Bromley the other day and the Glades and surrounds has plenty of closed and empty shops.
The shops that we still have in Sydenham could do with competition from loss leading multiples like a whole in the head right now, in my opnion.
We're suck with a load of empty shops for the forseeable future so why not turn them over to community use? They may just bring in the increase in footfall we need and bring in business to existing shops.
Also, if the Arts Festival showed us anything it was that there are many artists in the area and the fact a lot showed their work in their homes illustrates how underserved we are when it comes to public exhibition space.
I welcome this move by the council.
The shops that we still have in Sydenham could do with competition from loss leading multiples like a whole in the head right now, in my opnion.
We're suck with a load of empty shops for the forseeable future so why not turn them over to community use? They may just bring in the increase in footfall we need and bring in business to existing shops.
Also, if the Arts Festival showed us anything it was that there are many artists in the area and the fact a lot showed their work in their homes illustrates how underserved we are when it comes to public exhibition space.
I welcome this move by the council.
Fair enought, but:
An empty shop is the freeholder's problem.
A council iniative is a taxpayers expense.
I am being asked to pay for something that, by its very nature, brings in no money and does not benefit me.
It's the principle of the thing - a piece of gesture politics which doesn't actually solve anything.
An empty shop is the freeholder's problem.
A council iniative is a taxpayers expense.
I am being asked to pay for something that, by its very nature, brings in no money and does not benefit me.
It's the principle of the thing - a piece of gesture politics which doesn't actually solve anything.
Dickp,
An empty shop is a widespread problem.
It makes whole high streets look downbeat, discourages investment and shoppers.
A council iniative is what councils are there for. Hopefully this will help encourage investment and therefore bolster the councils coffers by getting in new blood and therefore business rates.
These schemes are not new. They are widespread throughout the country and are successful. Lots of people like art.
Crystal Palace is starting to do it. We talked about it as an idea during the very successful Arts Festival in Sydenham earlier this year. It's great that it's finally happening.
I think it's great that Lewisham Council are investing their time and money in Sydenham. That is to be applauded.
An empty shop is a widespread problem.
It makes whole high streets look downbeat, discourages investment and shoppers.
A council iniative is what councils are there for. Hopefully this will help encourage investment and therefore bolster the councils coffers by getting in new blood and therefore business rates.
These schemes are not new. They are widespread throughout the country and are successful. Lots of people like art.
Crystal Palace is starting to do it. We talked about it as an idea during the very successful Arts Festival in Sydenham earlier this year. It's great that it's finally happening.
I think it's great that Lewisham Council are investing their time and money in Sydenham. That is to be applauded.
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Trawlerman
- Posts: 318
- Joined: 17 Sep 2009 13:56
- Location: Sydenham
Empty shops...could be art.
What is art?
...We all think we know, but...
[Maybe this question belongs 'in the pub'...But, it is a serious question...]
We have all seen so much ridiculous rubbish that the chatterers proclaim as 'art' and the product of creative effort... [and its all relative etc]
On the other hand, and to get back to the point... it is always good to make 'good use' of empty shops.
What is art?
...We all think we know, but...
[Maybe this question belongs 'in the pub'...But, it is a serious question...]
We have all seen so much ridiculous rubbish that the chatterers proclaim as 'art' and the product of creative effort... [and its all relative etc]
On the other hand, and to get back to the point... it is always good to make 'good use' of empty shops.
Yes, but it's the wrong point in the economic cycle. At the start of the recession, such an initiative might just make sense – recessions always last around two years, and they always result in a decrease in new retail investment.
Let's say the scheme takes six months to get off the ground.
In six months, the recession will (hopefully) be ended, the Sydenham Road improvements will be underway, and the ELL will be nearly finished.
At that point, the High Street will (hopefully) be becoming a desirable investment opportunity again. A pity, therefore, that Lewisham has wasted the six months trying to attract tenants who can't pay, and don't increase local trade. Not that many art galleries etc will come, because even putting on an art exhibition costs money.
They should be spending the time now marketing Sydenham as a commercially-attractive up-and-coming location, not faffing around with art galleries that either won't materialise or won't generate long-term benefits.
There's a reason that the State got out of running businesses during the 1980s -they were useless at it.
Let's say the scheme takes six months to get off the ground.
In six months, the recession will (hopefully) be ended, the Sydenham Road improvements will be underway, and the ELL will be nearly finished.
At that point, the High Street will (hopefully) be becoming a desirable investment opportunity again. A pity, therefore, that Lewisham has wasted the six months trying to attract tenants who can't pay, and don't increase local trade. Not that many art galleries etc will come, because even putting on an art exhibition costs money.
They should be spending the time now marketing Sydenham as a commercially-attractive up-and-coming location, not faffing around with art galleries that either won't materialise or won't generate long-term benefits.
There's a reason that the State got out of running businesses during the 1980s -they were useless at it.
Call me naive, but not ALL concerns in a recession are fiscal surely?
As a guy who spent 5 months out of work after being made redundant, some respite from the relentless cycle of "find, approach and apply" in the form of temporary art galleries would actually have been a refreshing diversion.
It may not be the stated aim of this endeavour but should it serve as a relaxing diversion for even one person, then I'd consider it a good move.
Macro economically, well, I think thats been covered!
Edit: Grammar
As a guy who spent 5 months out of work after being made redundant, some respite from the relentless cycle of "find, approach and apply" in the form of temporary art galleries would actually have been a refreshing diversion.
It may not be the stated aim of this endeavour but should it serve as a relaxing diversion for even one person, then I'd consider it a good move.
Macro economically, well, I think thats been covered!
Edit: Grammar
Last edited by Seifer on 13 Nov 2009 12:41, edited 2 times in total.
From my own point of view, this scheme (depending what exhibition is on) will give me a reason to stroll to the high street when I might not otherwise bother. Chances are I'll pop in to Kente or somewhere while I'm there, have a look around to see if anything else is new, maybe pick up some food for the evening etc.
I can only see it as a positive for other traders and the high street if it attracts more footfall and gets rid of a few shops with whited-out windows.
I can only see it as a positive for other traders and the high street if it attracts more footfall and gets rid of a few shops with whited-out windows.
ADOPT SARCASTIC TONE:Chazza wrote:Agreed, which is why it's such a shame they're having a go at running our banking sector. And getting mugged.dickp wrote:There's a reason that the State got out of running businesses during the 1980s -they were useless at it.
Yep, the private sector has been really good at running banks and never ventured towards the complete collapse of the whole banking system. Rover/Austin did really well in private hands.
The trains did really well in private hands, really profitable set of monopolies these companies have. All they have to do now is run on time, charge reasonable fairs, standardize service, improve stations, make sure trains actually run or offer compensation when they are cancelled and offer more flexible tickets at a reasonable price and they will be perfect! They have really improved!
Energy companies have been great since being privatised, they have REALLY lowered the cost of energy in this country compared to mainland Europe. It was great that so many of them stayed in British hands and haven't been bought by foreign companies and fleeced the British public like some kind of cash cow. Oil companies have really managed to share the wealth since being privatised.
All these companies have really looked after their workers, it's not like any of them have stopped pensions schemes or frozen them or gone back on agreements in the search of higher profits to meet the expectations of what some guy in the city thinks they should make next year so their share price doesn't plummet, it's not like these companies pay massive bonuses even if the companies fail.
I will bet every one of you that not one single art gallery ever appears on Sydenham High Street as a result of this idea.
It's pre-election posturing - politicians trying to be seen to be "doing something". Even if "doing something" has no tangible economic benefit.
Meanwhile, up at Kirkdale, real investors are stumping up real cash to generate real new business.
I know which shopping parade I'd bet on getting improved first.
It's pre-election posturing - politicians trying to be seen to be "doing something". Even if "doing something" has no tangible economic benefit.
Meanwhile, up at Kirkdale, real investors are stumping up real cash to generate real new business.
I know which shopping parade I'd bet on getting improved first.
Maybe I have missed something, but are we really talking about galleries as such? We have lots of local artists who would have lots of work to display, I bet!
It is great that Lewisham council have adopted this idea, indeed discussed on this forum not long ago, if I remember correctly it was you Lee who suggested it?
It is great that Lewisham council have adopted this idea, indeed discussed on this forum not long ago, if I remember correctly it was you Lee who suggested it?
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Wispy Wonder
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- Location: Sydenham