FEASIBILITY_STUDY , item 14. PDF 1 MB - Meetings, agendas and ...

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A feasibility study prepared for the Black Box TrustNovember 2011The PfG aims to support business and to create conditions in which an enterprise can flourish.By ensuring greater levels of investment in arts and culture, the Government wishes to boosttourism numbers and ultimately improve the quality of life in Belfast. Through promoting accessto arts and culture, the Government aims to meet educational, health and economic goals -enhancing Northern Ireland's attractiveness to locals and visitors. The overarching aim is toenable as many people, local or tourist, to access culture and arts in the area.The Black Box is consistent with PSA 5 „Tourism‟ and PSA 9 „Promoting access to culture, artsand leisure‟.PSA 5 – TourismAim: To develop our tourism sector and promote Northern Ireland as a must-visitdestination to facilitate growth in business and leisure visitorsTwo objectives outlined in PSA 5 are to:Enhance Northern Ireland‟s tourism infrastructure; andPromote the growth of the tourism sector.PSA 9 - Promoting access to culture, arts and leisure:Aim: Contribute to Northern Ireland‟s economic, health and educational goals byincreasing participation and access to Culture, Arts and Leisure ActivitiesThe most relevant objective set out in PSA 9:Enable as many people as possible to improve their quality of life by experiencing,participating and accessing the excellence of our cultural assets.The success of the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast is testament to the fact that investment inculture and arts can be a catalyst for regeneration within city areas, transforming them intovisitor destinations.The regeneration of the listed bank building into The Merchant Hotel helped to increase themomentum of the Cathedral Quarter, coincidently opening, along with its trendy bar/restaurantthe Cloth Ear, at the same time as the Black Box, in April 2006. This added capacity for visitorsand tourists to stay and participate in the cultural and artistic events on offer in the area. Sincethen, there have been numerous hotel openings in the Cathedral Quarter, including a PremierInn and a Ramada Encore, adding to the tourism infrastructure of Belfast‟s „Cultural Hub‟.The development of new venues, events and festivals is critical in changing the internationalperception of Belfast and attracting tourists from Great Britain and Europe. The Black Box hasplayed a key role in organising a variety of events and festivals within the Cathedral Quarter andhas been successful in attracting different audiences to the area, contributing to the objectivesset out in PSA 5 and PSA 9. Furthermore, the presence of numerous hotels in the CathedralQuarter automatically makes it an area of interest to visitors.2.1.3 Regional Development StrategyThe Regional Development Strategy (RDS) provides a planning framework for the futuredevelopment of Northern Ireland to 2025. Although the main focus of the RDS is not the cultureand arts sector of Northern Ireland, it is identified as one of the key drivers to attracting publicand private investment, particularly for business and regeneration initiatives.6
A feasibility study prepared for the Black Box TrustNovember 2011The strategy recognises the arts and culture sector to be a key player in the enhancement of theenvironment and also for attracting tourism to key urban areas. The RDS aims “to create athriving Metropolitan Area centred on a revitalised City of Belfast to ensure that it cancompete internationally as a place to locate business, work and visit. This will meanbuilding a critical mass to ensure that it has higher order services, a range of facilitiesand cultural amenities”.The Black Box has been a popular cultural venue in the Cathedral Quarter since its opening in2006. It has been a part of the revitalisation of the Cathedral Quarter area and has contributedto the diverse range of cultural and artistic attractions available in Belfast, attracting locals andvisitors to its musical, artistic and creative events. The presence of the venue contributes to theRegional Development Strategy's aim to establish Belfast as a multifunctional centre and thecontinued operation of the venue would help to achieve critical mass of cultural amenities whenthe Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) opens in April 2012.2.1.4 Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI)In July 2010, OFMDFM launched a new strategy, the Programme for Cohesion, Sharing andIntegration (CSI), replacing the „Shared Future‟ strategy implemented by the direct ruleadministration. CSI aims to „bring about real changes for people and places across our society‟and „to build a strong community where everyone, regardless of race, colour, religious orpolitical opinion, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation can live, work and socialise in acontext of fairness, equality, rights, responsibilities and respect‟. Public consultation took placein the second half of 2010 and a report on the responses was published earlier this year.The Black Box contributes to a number of the themes in the CSI, including the creation ofshared space, respecting cultural diversity and supporting local communities.2.1.5 North East Quarter MasterplanIn 2005, the Department for Social Development (DSD) published its North East Quarterregeneration Masterplan. The North East Quarter of the city, defined by the departmentcomprises the Cathedral Quarter area, within which the Black Box is centrally located.The Masterplan refers to „the need to increase the mix and quality of uses in the North EastQuarter (NEQ)‟ and emphasises the importance of injecting other uses such as restaurants,bars, sports and arts facilities to enhance the day-long life of the area.The presence of the Black Box as an artistic and cultural performance space in the CathedralQuarter has built upon the mix of uses the area has to offer. Located at the heart of theCathedral Quarter, the venue is surrounded by a cluster of restaurants and bars, the numbers ofwhich have grown since the advent of the Black Box in April 2006.In consultation with DSD, the „Out to Lunch Arts Festival‟ was cited as one of the mostsuccessful events organised by the Black Box as it brought people into the area during the day,where they could enjoy a show whilst having lunch. The department stated that with “year onyear events using it, it has added to the cultural offering of the area.”7
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