Edbrington Clutural Cluster Final Draft Composite Draft Final Report

7/27/2019 Edbrington Clutural Cluster Final Draft Composite Draft Final Report

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Feasibil ity Study to assess thepotential for an Arts & Culture

Cluster at Ebrington,Derry~Londonderry

Final Report

7 February 2008


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Feasibility Study to assess the potential for an Arts & Culture Cluster at Ebrington, Derry~LondonderryFinal Report

www.sqw.co.uk

Contents

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... ..........1

1: Introduc tion .......................................................................................... ................................6

2: Strategic context..................................................................................................................8

3: Dimensions of the concept ...............................................................................................14

4: Market demand and impact assessment (new) ..............................................................26

5: Organisation, management and funding.........................................................................31

Annex A: L ist o f consultees................... ............................................................................. A-1

Annex B: Comparators .................................................................................................. ...... B-1

Annex C: Preliminary cost estimates......................................... ........................................ C-1Annex D: Strategic Context .......................................................................................... ......D-1

Annex E: Ini tial Estimat ion of Potential Economic Impact .............................................. E-1

Contact: Kathrin Peters Tel: 01223 209400 email: [email protected]

Kathrin Peters Date: 7 February 2008App roved by:

Associate Director


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Execut ive Summary

The Vision for Derry~Londonderry

1. Derry~Londonderry is undergoing profound changes. There are a wide range ofsignificant and ambitious projects underway in housing, education, industry and

tourism which will transform the city. Foremost amongst these is the construction of

the new footbridge which will connect the Walled City with the Waterside, thereby

effectively creating an expanded city centre. The plans to develop an Arts & Culture

Cluster at Ebrington fit tightly into a strategy to upgrade the citys quality of life and

make it a superb place to live, work, visit and learn.

The project

2. This document presents the final report of a project to explore the feasibility of an

Arts & Culture Cluster on the Ebrington site. The report is based on work undertaken

by a consortium of consultants led by SQW Consulting (SQW) and also comprising

the cultural consultancy Burns Owens Partnership (BOP), architects and

conservations specialists Consarc Design/Conservation and Colin Stutt of Colin Stutt

Consulting.

3. The project is steered by a group of key stakeholders representing Ilex, Derry City

Council, University of Ulster, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Arts Council

Northern Ireland and local community groups.

4. Ebrington presents an outstanding opportunity for a high profile development

designed to put Derry~Londonderry on the national and international map as a must

see must visit location. The site with its impressive Parade Ground and listed

buildings grouped around it is of stunning beauty. Its location opposite to the newfootbridge across the River Foyle and adjacent to St Columbs Park adds to its

significance.

5. The proposal at the heart of this feasibility study is to identify those arts and cultural

activities and facilities that could be the flagship component of the overall

development of the Ebrington site and will complement and add value to the cultural

offer of the city. Culture is now acknowledged as a critical aspect of the quality of

life in urban development, contributing to local pride and educational opportunity,

raising and enhancing image and profile, and operating as a driver for regeneration.

The strategic context6. A review of strategies at the local, sub-regional, national and cross-border level

presents a compelling reason for public sector intervention in Derry~Londonderry in

order for the city to achieve prosperity and growth commensurate with its potential:


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measures of economic inactivity and deprivation are much higher than elsewhere in

Northern Ireland. There is a need to move the city onto an accelerated development

trajectory, generating highly skilled and high value-added employment opportunities

indicators suggest a high quality of life, particularly based on scenic and historical

attractions but businesses and inward investors are not yet making use of what the

city has to offer because of continuing structural weaknesses. There is a need for high

profile and inspiring initiatives to put Derry~Londonderry on an international map of

people and businesses

tourism numbers and spending should be boosted through encouraging the high

spending segment of destination tourism market. Arts and culture facilities in

particular can play a big role in this process and this is being recognised by the

Northern Ireland Tourist Board which is in the process of developing a cultural

tourism strategy

there are a number of current tourism, culture and regeneration initiatives at the local

and national level which relate closely to what Ebrington will be aiming to achieve

and; it will be essential to build up the projects profile from early on, making it

become a further signature project for Derry~Londonderry and Northern Ireland.

7. All these factors make a compelling case for a significant initiative in the field of arts

& culture which addresses business development, quality of life and tourism

objectives in one brush.

Dimensions of the concept

8. Ebrington will be a unique exemplar of international best practice in arts and culture,

bringing together local artists and those of international renown along with a cluster

of cultural activities and offerings which reflect the history and ambition of the city

and the region. To meet this objective, the development needs to take an innovative

stance which exploits the characteristics of the site and city and draws on experience

from leading edge developments elsewhere in the United Kingdom and Ireland and

overseas.

9. The development will be a hybrid, consisting of soft animation measures and

hard physical developments; the soft measures will be rooted in innovative

cultural practice and ideas and it will be imperative that these influence the physical

shape rather than vice versa. The soft approaches need to follow the grain of the

rich array of existing arts and culture activities in the city and sub-region as well as

inject additional energy.

10. The vision for the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster is that of a mixed use

development shaped around a core visual arts component capturing the historical

energy of the site, working in the present and renegotiating the future. The site has

the potential to make a significant contribution to the cultural and educational life of

the city, building a shared safe space that is accessible to citizens and visitors,

enabling all creatively to explore the past and present. The aim is to put


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Ebrington/Derry~Londonderry on the international map as a must be and must

visit place and destination for artists, tourists and businesses.

11. The project will be developed in three broad phases. The first of these will consist of

relatively minor physical development work and concentrate on softer animation

measures. As far as possible, it will happen in parallel with the completion of the new

footbridge. Over a period of some five to ten years, there will be more extensive site

and building development work to open up the site to its full use and transformation

potential.

12. A number of development principles have been defined to ensure that the site is

developed sensitively to its immediate and wider environment, keeping in mind the

role played by the site over the centuries.

Objectives

13. There is a wide range of objectives associated with this project concerned with arts &

culture, community development, involvement of children and young people,

business development, visitor numbers, inward investment and a general change of

the image and perception of the site (and the city) domestically and internationally.

Components

14. The project will consist of a range of soft animation and hard physical measures.

The soft measures will work with existing arts & culture providers in deepening and

widening provision in the city. The project should employ a wide range of

mechanisms including an events-based strategy and a festival-based strategy to

celebrate specific aspects and/or themes of the city and the site, a comprehensive pre-

launching programme to develop in parallel with the physical development of the site

and buildings.

15. We have identified a need for strong curation and leadership to organise an

extensive programme of soft animation measures. This will require the appointment

of an artistic and/or festival director or a directorial team recruited and/or

appointed from within the international arena. The individual (or team) to be

appointed needs to be visionary, creative, innovative and highly sympathetic to what

is to be achieved with the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster, bringing out the best

from the local artistic scene and at the same time stretching the horizon towards an

international outlook. There will need to be provision for the recruitment of an

individual with international credentials and recognition.

16. Some arts venues are based on permanent collections while others are being curated

on the basis ofcommissioning programmes or indeed purely on the basis of loans;given that the acquisition of a permanent collection is extremely expensive and a loan

programme tends to work best when there are permanent exhibits to offer in exchange

for loaned artefacts, a commissioning programme would seem to be the best route for

the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster; this is all the more the case because the

commissioning programme could be started almost immediately, once funding has


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been secured, with a view for art to be exhibited in the buildings as they are now, in

various stages of disrepair.

17. Derry City Council's Heritage and Museum Service holds an extensive local authority

archive collection and is the only local authority archive operating in Northern

Ireland outside of Belfast. Accessing archives is becoming increasingly important as

an aspect of visitor experiences and that having accessible archives (supported by

digital means). We understand that there are some caveats regarding the safe storage

of archive materials that require strict environmental controls but hope that such

requirements can be designed into the physical development of the historical

buildings. Also, the City of London holds extensive archives on the Honourable the

Irish Society and there is a strong interest in making them available to audiences in

Northern Ireland. There are a number of options to establish a rolling programme of

exhibitions and also allow for electronic access to these archives.

18. Other components of the concept include artists residencies and international peer

linkages. There is clear evidence of a growing focus in contemporary arts practice on

memory building and archiving and Ebringtons proposed capacities, therefore, offer

significant dynamic linkages and engagement across programming strands of the site.

Market demand and economic impact

19. The market demand for services and facilities to be offered on the Ebrington complex

has been estimated by using comparator data of other attractions in Ireland, North and

South. On this basis, three scenarios have been considered which have been titled

modest success (50,000 visitors per year), good success (100,000 visitors per year)

and outstanding success (200,000 visitors per year).

20. Calculations show that Ebrington can only be expected to generate significant

benefits to the city and the wider region if it emerges as the outstanding

transformational must see development which attracts visitors who would nototherwise have come to the North West or Ireland. The positioning of the scheme

must be truly distinctive and the marketing budget provision must be of a scale to

make credible an outcome comparable with the outstanding success scenario.

Physical developments

21. The animation of the space and evolving uses should inform the physical

development of the site and buildings; therefore the early development of the site

must be such as not to impede potential future uses and the flexibility of the site; only

in this way will it be possible for Ebrington to acquire a unique character which will

work towards the objective of putting Derry~Londonderry on the international map.

22. Illustrative sketches have been developed to provide an impression of possible

phasings of the development to achieve its objectives and allow enough flexibility for

the softer animation to shape the site.


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Organisation and management

23. Ebrington is a complex redevelopment site which (as set out in the masterplan) will

be composed of a range of functions housing (both private and social), commercial

and office uses, convenience shopping etc. Much of the site is to be cleared to provide

for these developments but its most visible and precious component (historically,

architecturally and culturally) the Star Fort, the Parade Ground and the buildings in

its immediate vicinity is unequivocally seen as important as a facility for cultural

and community good.

24. The organisation and management model to be adopted to move the project

development forward poses a complex management challenge in that it must offer

representation of public, private, community and voluntary interests without losing

the strong impetus for development.

25. We see a need to develop a leadership and management structure for the gallery

which we consider to be the hub of the cluster. This will require the setting up of a

Board with the leadership of a chair/champion. It could well make sense closely to

link this structure with the arrangements in place for the Public Arts commissioning

currently underway.

26. There are considerations underway to reorganise the arts and cultural facilities and

services falling within the responsibility of Derry City Council and create a trust

structure at arms length from the Council to allow for more flexibility and

entrepreneurial incentives. Ebrington could form an organisational part of such a new

structure, allowing economies of scale and possible savings in its revenue budget.

Funding

27. There are two forms of funding that need to be secured capital and revenue. The

climate for capital funding has cooled significantly as lottery moneys are diverted, not

least to the Olympics, and existing budgets (the North West Cultural Challenge Fund)

are phased out. However, the history and romance of Derry~Londonderry could well

prove attractive to a wide range of international donors, especially given the historic

interest of Ebrington. It is more difficult to be confident about sources of public

funding. Clearly, there are opportunities to draw down planning gain benefits from

the overall Ebrington site development though this, we understand, is not common

practice in Northern Ireland and needs further exploration.

Next steps

28. This final report will be discussed at a Steering Group meeting on 12 February 2008.


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1: Introduction

1.1 This document presents the final report of a project to explore the potential of an Arts &

Culture Cluster to be developed at Ebrington, Derry~Londonderry. The report is based on

work undertaken by a consortium of consultants led by SQW Consulting (SQW) and alsocomprising the cultural consultancy Burns Owens Partnership (BOP), planners, architects and

conservation specialists Consarc Design/Conservation and Colin Stutt of Colin Stutt

Consulting.

1.2 This report is submitted four months after project inception in early October 2007, taking on

board comments received at a meeting of the a Steering Group on 8 January 2008. It is based

on the following work strands:

an inception meeting with the Steering Group and project team site visit on 4 October

2007; the findings and conclusions from this meeting were summarised in a Project

Initiation Document submitted on 30 October 2007

desk research on the strategic environment within which this initiative will be

embedded within the economic, social, community and cultural spheres

an extensive programme of consultations with intermediaries and individuals

interested in arts & culture, economic, social and community development in

Derry~Londonderry and the North West of Ireland; we have consulted widely and

collected a broad spectrum of views and interests in this initiative. In essence,

consultees were enthusiastic and inspired about the emerging concept and expressed

strong interest to be part of it

meetings and consultations which have taken place between representatives of the

consultancy team and Mo Durkan, John Meehan, Bill Kirk, Professor Declan

McGonagle, Brendan McMenamin and Peter Jenkinson which have shaped the

direction of the work and provided feed-back on the emerging conclusions. We are

grateful for the intensive dialogue

a Steering Group meeting on 8 January 2008 where the emerging concept was

introduced and discussed; comments received from members of the Steering Group

have been integrated into this report

further work on assessing likely demand for the project and exploring the economic

benefits flowing from it

further discussions between representatives from Ilex and Consarc on site

development and phasing issues.

1.3 The proposal at the heart of this feasibility study is to identify those arts and cultural activities

and facilities that could be the flagship component of the overall development of the

Ebrington site and that will complement and add value to the cultural offer of the city. Culture

is now acknowledged as a critical aspect of the quality of life in urban development,


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contributing to local pride and educational opportunity, raising and enhancing image and

profile, and operating as a driver for regeneration.

1.4 The document is structured as follows:

Chapter 2 summarises the strategic context within which the initiative will be

embedded

Chapter 3 introduces the dimensions of the concept, summarising the vision, spelling

out the objectives, exploring the different components and activities and describing

the concepts physical dimensions

Chapter 4 assesses the likely market of the scheme and explores the economic

development impacts that might flow from it

Chapter 5 elaborates on organisation, management and funding issues.

1.5 Supporting information is presented in five annexes: Annex A contains the list of consultees;

Annex B summarises information on six comparator schemes; Annex C provides preliminary

cost estimates on refurbishing and developing the Ebrington site; Annex D provides summary

information on a range of strategies that have a bearing on the rationale for the scheme;

Annex E contains the assessment of likely impacts.

1.6 In undertaking this work, the consultants have encountered an encouraging level of interest

enthusiasm and support. Everybody spoken to was intrigued by the project, could clearly see

the benefits for Derry~Londonderry and the wider region, and expressed strong commitment

to its development. This is not to say that the project was without sceptics but scepticism was

directed towards how the vision could be realised and the feasibility of its happening rather

than criticism of the broad idea.

1.7 We are also grateful to the interest, guidance and support we have received from members of

the Steering Group which have helped to shape and refine the emerging concept.


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2: Strategic context

2.1 This chapter provides a summary of the strategic context within which the Ebrington Arts &

Culture Cluster is to be embedded. The first part of the chapter summarises

Derry~Londonderrys position vis--vis other locations in Northern Ireland and the UnitedKingdom on a range of indicators and measures, making particular reference to economic,

tourism and arts & culture indicators. The second part presents abstracts of the main

economic, community/social and cultural strategies that frame the Ebrington Arts & Culture

Cluster plans, providing pointers to the initiatives rationale on the basis of market failures

and thereby making the case for intervention.

2.2 There is intensive activity in the Derry~Londonderry area in terms of regeneration reflected in

recent strategy, including the Ilex Regeneration Plan, the Walled City Signature Tourism

Project (including the Lighting Strategy), public realm schemes for Waterloo Place and

Guildhall Square, work on a possible World Heritage Status bid for the Walled City and the

City Councils Tourism Strategy initiative (currently at the stage of appointing consultants);

providing they are implemented successfully, all add to the underlying economic

development objectives enabling the creation of a much stronger and robust city offer.

History

2.3 Derry~Londonderry will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the walls

and the granting of the Royal Charter in 2013. The city has a multi-faceted past: focus for the

plantation of Ulster in the 16th century with the legacy of the only remaining walled city in

Ireland; a major trading post and a centre for the textiles industry in the 18 th and 19th century;

and a crucial base for allied activities during the Second World War. During the 20th

century,

the city suffered particularly from the partition of Ireland - which cut off its commercial

hinterland - and subsequently from the Troubles which impacted on the prosperity of itsresidents and businesses. The peace process is now allowing the city to gather its strength and

to aim to take a position once more as one of the major growth points on the island.

Demographic base

2.4 Derry~Londonderry is among the fastest growing urban centres in Ireland. The city itself has

a population of over 95,000 and Derry City Councils administrative area has a population of

107,000, making it the largest urban centre in the north of Ireland, the third largest district

council in Northern Ireland (in population size after Belfast and Lisburn) and the fourth

largest on the island. Also, there are 300,000 people in the citys travel-to-work area,

spreading across the border into Donegal and further afield. The city has been designated, in

tandem with Letterkenny, as a gateway urban centre.12

1The Irish Times : Advance. How investment is shaping Derrys future. A special report, 3 October 2007

2 Indecon International Economic Consultants in association with London Economics: Urban Regeneration

Baseline Study of Derry City Council Area. Report prepared for Ilex, September 2005.


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2.5 Derry has a young population base (with a relatively high share in the working age segment

16-59) and has the largest population in the age bracket below 16 across Northern Ireland.

Projected population growth, both overall and particular in the working age population, in the

Derry City Council area significantly exceeds that expected across Northern Ireland over the

medium to long term.3

Quality of life and deprivation

2.6 The quality of life in the city is considered high, due to a range of scenic, cultural and historic

assets which works as an attractor for residents, business and visitors. However, there is still

significant deprivation (Derry is ranked as the 3rd

most deprived Local Government District in

Northern Ireland)4

and there is a shared view that the citys strategic assets have not yet been

fully used to encourage business development, inward investment and tourism.

Economic activity rates, education and sector structure

2.7 Economic activity rates amongst the citys population have been lower than elsewhere in

Northern Ireland (according to the 2001 Census, the economic active population was 63.3%,

compared to 70.2% across Northern Ireland)5. Also, while the proportion of employees in

professional occupations is higher than across Northern Ireland as a whole, there is

nevertheless a higher proportion of employment in less skilled occupations than elsewhere.

Also, there remains a dependence on the public sector for employment. Moreover, there is a

low level of educational attainment in the city across all levels.

Foreign direct investment

2.8 The city is second to Belfast in terms of the number of publicly assisted inward investment

projects. In line with developments in Northern Ireland as a whole, there has been a shift in

emphasis from the manufacturing sector to internationally traded and other services activities.

Derry~Londonderry has been chosen by some high profile investors such as SeagateTechnologies and Northbrook Technology (both located on the University of Ulsters Magee

Campus). There would appear to be significant further scope to attract inward investors to the

city. Promoting and further strengthening the citys quality of life assets and addressing its

weaknesses will be of vital importance in achieving positive results in this sphere.

The tourism sector

2.9 Derry~Londonderry draws significant visitor numbers to its historical and scenic attractions.

The walls of Derry were amongst the top ten visited attractions in Northern Ireland during

2006, with a total of 207,200 visitors. A total of 603,239 nights were spent by visitors to

Derry City Council area, some 6.3% of the total number of nights spent across all regions.6

Total spend by visitors in 2006 amounted to 23.62 million or 6.4% of the total spend for

3Ibid, page v

4NISRA - Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation (2005)

5 NISRA Northern Ireland Census data6

Data provided by Northern Ireland Tourist Board.


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Northern Ireland; relative visitor spend has been going down from 6.9% in 2003 to 6.4% in

2006.

2.10 However, there is broad consensus that there is significant scope to increase visitor numbers

and enhance the economic impact of tourism. The average spending per night by visitors in

Derry~Londonderry is below the average for Northern Ireland which would appear to be a

reflection of the fact that it is not yet positioned towards the high spending special interest and

destination market.

Arts and culture

2.11 Consultees report significant scope to increase visual arts awareness and education. In the

1990s, the Orchard Gallery, supported by Derry City Council, achieved a considerable

reputation for contemporary work and promoted a visionary agenda for visual arts in the city.

From its early glory days, the gallery failed to maintain its support but its legacy of local

engagement and international reach still resonates locally and internationally. Void and

Context Gallery, both of which sought to fill the gap consequent on the closure of the Orchard

Gallery, offer a complementary range of contemporary visual arts programmes and activities

(including residencies and education programmes). Both their programmes are distinguished(and in the case of Context includes the development of the NW visual arts archive supported

by UU) but both are struggling to establish a local audience and to command national

attention and the funding that will provide secure and long-term planning. A proposition for a

new regional gallery evolved from a document exploring the future role and identity of the

Orchard Gallery commissioned by Derry City Council and written by Professor Declan

McGonagle.

2.12 Nevertheless, Derry~Londonderry has a distinguished cultural history. The city and

surrounding area has produced a range of writers and artists and recent years have seen an

astonishing growth of cultural facilities from the Nerve Centre to the Verbal Arts Centre to

the Waterside Theatre. A further example is found in the murals which from the early days of

the Troubles, were used as a visual means of declaring allegiance and marking territory.

These murals became famous pictorial images of the conflict and remain protected, with one

artists group involved showing their work internationally. There is strong commitment to

local community engagement and education projects that result in the production of new

talent. While Derry~Londonderry has a reputation as a cultural city, it faces significant

problems in retaining talent and providing the kind of synergy that will make the cultural

offer nationally and internationally renowned.

2.13 Derry~Londonderry, as small city with a still small commercial business sector, is fortunate

to have a small number of private, commercially run art galleries Gordons is particularly

notable. The gallery has been functioning for two generations in one form or another and has

excellent connections locally and internationally. Gordons is developing links with local

schools (it held an exhibition of A level work this year and plans to continue and extend this)

and is successfully building both a domestic and commercial market. However, the links with

the voluntary sector are not strong and this again points to the need for a more developed

strategic approach to cultural development by the City Council that can maximise resources

and the evident entrepreneurial approach of the cultural activists.


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2.14 Derry~Londonderry, for many of the reasons above, is incredibly well connected for a small

place and this includes international connections in contemporary visual arts and media. Ilex

is developing a major public art initiative, involving all the key cultural players in the city

and supported by national and international expertise; the Ebrington development needs to be

integrally linked with the public art programme in order to ensure synergy and an effective

legacy that is, the Ilex commissions should be seen as the beginning of a continuous

programme of public art initiatives for the city.

2.15 Tertiary education is strong in the city with both the NW Regional College and the University

of Ulsters (UUs) Magee campus; however neither offers an art degree although the College

offers a well-respected foundation course. Magee is strong in performing arts while the visual

arts department is located on UUs Belfast campus. However, UUs reach through the new

School of Creative Arts, which embraces architecture and art and design in the public realm,

is extending its influence and is currently advising on the development of the Fountain area of

the city.

2.16 The tradition of story-telling through a range of performance, moving image and literary

media is very strong. The Verbal Arts Centre and the Nerve Centre are critical providers of

informal (and some formal) education provision that extends the scope of how language(written, oral and visual) is shared and understood. Both these organisations have

considerable local support as well as national profile and undertake a range of innovative

programmes. The Verbal Arts Centre includes several excellent visual art and craft

commissions while the Nerve Centre is mentioned as one of the leading media centres in the

UK and promotes a highly respected film festival, the Foyle Film Festival, with an

international programme. Both these organisations are highly entrepreneurial and are in the

process of expanding their operations.

2.17 Consultation with Screen Northern Ireland as well as with local cultural organisations has

identified a gap in the current provision that might be accommodated at Ebrington. This is

effectively composed of two complementary parts a national screen/moving image archive

and a film exhibition facility. There is no NI national centre for film archive and Screen NI isinterested in exploring how or if this could be accommodated in this project. The Nerve

Centre (one of 15 dispersed archive facilities) is well-placed to drive forward this initiative

alongside the provision of a custom-built small auditorium where niche and

international/historic films can be shown the Nerve Centres current facilities are

inadequate.

2.18 All of the major culture venues are in receipt of Multi Annual Funding from Derry City

Council through three year Service Level Agreements. This partnership has also

accommodated a growing relationship and dissemination of programming responsibility for

civic events and festivals.

2.19 The main local authority and Arts Council Northern Ireland (ACNI) support goes to theMillennium Forum, a major performing arts venue that promotes a wide range of touring

work and some locally produced shows. The Millennium Forum project (a major new

building opened in 2001) was led by the Council, although it now has an independent status.

The Playhouse Theatre is a wholly independent organisation with a strong programme of

activity in performing arts from developing and promoting local theatre and other performing


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arts to offering education and skills development in a range of technical and performing arts

areas. The Playhouse is currently housed in St Columbs Hall while extensive work is carried

out on its home which will provide a significantly expanded and fit for purpose facility.

The Playhouse is responsible for birthing Context Gallery, now an independent entity that

will also have a new gallery space in the Playhouse building.

2.20 The Waterside Theatre is an impressive building also about to undergo redevelopment and

expansion. Born out of the Waterside communitys desire for its own unique cultural

expression, it operates as a focus for community development in which cultural activity

(alongside wider social organisations) is a principle driver. It provides a home for a range of

cultural and other organisations including the ACNI supported Echo dance company. The

Waterside Theatres activities extend to international projects such as the construction of the

Round Tower at Messines and here again the entrepreneurial zeal of the project is remarkable.

Ebrington, both historically and locationally, is particularly important to the Waterside both

the theatre and the community it represents. Many of the personnel, largely military, built

strong connections (often through marriage) with the local community and thus Ebrington has

a particular place a sense of ownership which needs to be respected in the development as it

goes forward. This includes telling the story of the place its role in major campaigns and in

the Derry diaspora as well as providing an internationally recognised cultural flagship anddelivering activity that can be shared by the local community.

2.21 While the Millennium Forum was driven and achieved by the City Council, these other

facilities arose out of local initiatives and have strong community rootedness and

connection. The majority of the cultural infrastructure is based within the walled city which

forms a strong and increasingly organised cluster, attractive to tourists and contributing to

the urban mix of retail, offices and civic buildings. The Waterside area is now developing its

own cultural profile and arts & cultural activity at Ebrington could create excellent synergies

with the existing and emerging provision, for example, the Waterside Theatre and St

Columbs Park respectively; both these projects have significant new capital developments

underway. Moreover, increasing the density of provision on the Waterside will provide a

balance to the walled City cultural offer, distinctive and complementary.

2.22 There is a considerable range of museums and archives including the Tower Museum, the

Workhouse, Harbour Museum, Foyle Valley Railway Museum, Emilia Erhart exhibition,

Museum of Free Derry, and the Apprentice Boys. The general view is that these are

collectively under-performing in terms of a major cultural tourism offer and perhaps in

effectively reaching local people (though there are clearly exceptions that have specialist

communities such as the Railway Museum). But consultees are clear that the focus for the

cultural offer at Ebrington is not a museum though it is important to provide a history of the

site and its role in the citys history.

2.23 A further important aspect of Derry~Londonderrys cultural life is the music and festival

promotions including nationally/internationally events such as Halloween.

Derry~Londonderry is gaining a reputation as a city where exciting things happen and the

classical music promotions are attracting significant coverage alongside traditional music and

wider traditional celebrations. Ebringtons expansive Parade Ground and wonderful open

aspect next to the Foyle river (and conveniently reached by the new foot and cycle bridge)


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offers excellent opportunities to expand this activity. From open-air proms to fireworks to

Continental markets to major commercial launches, the Parade Ground could be a major

focus for local community celebration and for national and international visitors.

2.24 As highlighted by Professor McGonagles work on a new regional gallery, the existing mind

and fabric of the city means that contemporary cultural provision can co-exist productively

with heritage and goes with the grain of ambitions by Tourism Ireland and NITB to promote a

tourism experience which provides insights and not just sightseeing (peace tourism).

Strategic context

2.25 As part of this project, a review of strategies at the local, sub-regional, national and cross-

border level was undertaken and the results are presented in Annex D. In summary, this

review presents a compelling reason for public sector intervention in Derry~Londonderry in

order for the city to achieve prosperity and growth commensurate with its potential:

measures of economic inactivity and deprivation are much higher than elsewhere in

Northern Ireland. There is a need to move the city onto an accelerated development

trajectory, generating highly skilled and high value-added employment opportunities

quality of life indicators based on scenic and historical attractions are high but

businesses and inward investors are not yet making use of what the city has to offer

because of continuing structural weaknesses. There is a need for high profile and

inspiring initiatives to put Derry~Londonderry on an international map of people and

businesses

tourism numbers and spending should be boosted through encouraging the high

spending segment of destination tourism market. Arts and culture facilities in

particular can play a big role in this process

there are a number of current initiatives which could be tapped into achieving a

recognised status from early on will be important for Ebrington, making it become a

further signature project for Derry~Londonderry and Northern Ireland.

2.26 In summary, Derry~Londonderry is characterised by a mixture of strong quality of life assets

along with low educational attainment and deprivation amongst its residents. It has not yet

reached the point where confidence and existing activities bring about a virtuous circle of

prosperity. The city needs the public sector in partnership with the private and voluntary

sectors to provide a range of development stimuli to overcome negative perceptions and

dynamics, addressing existing market failures, in order for the city to achieve its full potential.

2.27 All these factors make a compelling case for a significant initiative in the field of arts &

culture which addresses business development, quality of life and tourism objectives

synergistically.

2.28 The next chapter goes on to introduce the dimensions of the emerging concept.

Comment [KP1]: The detailedreview of strategies has been

shifted into Annex D


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3: Dimensions of the concept

3.1 Building on the research and consultation evidence as set out in chapter 2, it is clear that there

is excitement about the potential of the Ebrington development in all its aspects (it is, after all,

a sizable site in the centre of the city) and, in particular, its potential as a cultural focus thecluster that will complement the Walled City and significantly expand and determine the

image and national/international positioning of Derry~Londonderry. This chapter presents the

dimensions of the emerging concept under the following headings:

statement of intent

the vision

development principles

objectives

activities

physical dimensions.

Statement of intent

3.2 We propose that Ebrington will be a unique exemplar of international best practice in arts and

culture, bringing together local artists and those of international renown along with a cluster

of cultural activities and offerings which reflect the history and ambition of the city and the

region. To meet this objective, the development needs to take an innovative stance which

exploits the characteristics of the site and city and draws on experience from leading edge

developments elsewhere in the United Kingdom and Ireland and overseas.

3.3 The development will be a hybrid, consisting of soft animation measures and hard

physical developments; the soft measures are rooted in innovative cultural practice and

ideas and it will be imperative that these influence the physical shape rather than vice versa.

The soft approaches need to follow the grain of the rich array of existing arts and culture

activities in the city and sub-region as well as inject additional energy.

The Vision for the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster

3.4 The vision for the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster is that of a mixed use development

shaped around a core visual arts component capturing the historical energy of the site,

working in the present and renegotiating the future.7

And making a significant contribution

to the cultural and educational life of the city, building a shared safe space that is accessible to

citizens and visitors, enabling all creatively to explore the past and present. .

7As expressed by Professor Declan McGonagle in the meeting on 4 December 2007.


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3.5 The aim would be to put Ebrington/Derry~Londonderry on the international map as a must

be and must visit place and destination for artists, tourists and businesses.

Development principles

3.6 The following principles will ensure that the site is developed sensitively to its immediate and

wider environment:

(1) ensure the beneficial re-use of listed and other buildings of townscape or

historic significance set around the Parade Ground space, enabling public access to

the historic site but keeping in mind its unique physical and historic features; the

sense of place and history will be crucial to the long term success of the site

(2) foster the innovative interpretation of the historic site - the Star Fort and

Ebringtons place in the citys history including Siege of Derry, the Battle of the

Atlantic, the Troubles and the prevailing community spirit; consideration should be

given to how the story of the Ebrington site can be told during the development

phases

(3) seekexcellence in design of all aspects of the clusters development, creating a

showcase of best practice in conservation, regeneration, architecture and the design of

public places and the proposed Foyle Foot and Cycle Bridge

(4) ensure the site builds on and brings added value to the citys arts and cultural

offer, building on the existing arts and cultural venues across the city

(5) contribute to the mixed use nature of the adopted site master plan by introducing

a variety of uses and activities that will create vibrancy and vitality within the cluster

and foster a sense of place across the site

(6) build upon and extend the citys events and festival calendar through the use of

the Parade Ground as a major city events space and a focal point for city centreevents

(7) create a Shared SPACE environment for all the citizens of

Derry~Londonderry and the Region, accessible to all cultures and traditions

(8) importance of creating a space which will be used regularly by children and

young people; the young people of Derry~Londonderry are the future of the city and

they need to be offered a range of attractions and facilities on the site as well as in St

Columbs Park

(9) enhance the citys heritage and culture-based tourism offer, creating a new

visitor destination within the city which is complementary to and reinforces the

existing offer across the city including the Walled City Signature Project

(10) encourage and nurture cross border cultural initiatives through the activities

of the site and the operational linkages and working relationships with city-based,

regional and international institutions and community organisations


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(11) creating strong links with the local community; the success of any cultural

project in Derry~Londonderry will inevitably depend upon the extent of buy-in by

local people and careful consideration needs to be given on how local people will be

engaged in the development of the project

(12) a significant contribution to the bid for CWHS which will be looking for a

range of regeneration processes

(13) create maximum social value from the site through the cluster and take

advantage of the public ownership of Ebrington to ensure wider community benefits

(14) reflect a positive view of the future of Derry~Londonderry through

celebrating and understanding its past and promoting an inclusive production and

audience-based environment looking towards a new era in the citys social, economic

and physical development.

Objectives

3.7 There is a wide range of objectives associated with this project:

arts & culture: the city is already home to a wide range of arts & culture providers

who are active throughout the year as well as coming together through special events.

The project will further stimulate and energise what is already happening in the city,

widening and deepening capacities and competencies and creating an internationally

recognised creative cluster

community development: Ebrington is located on the Waterside but due to the new

footbridge will be closely linked to the Cityside. As such, there is an opportunity for

the development to play a pivotal role in bringing together the citys various

communities through a shared vision delivered in a shared space and offering and a

wide range of events and facilities; also, the Arts & Culture Cluster could play a role

in encouraging participatory models of community engagement and cultural sharing

involvement of children and young people: the city has a high proportion of young

people and it will be essential to engage children, teenagers and young adults in the

development of the Ebrington site. Across the world, governments are working out

how to transform their education systems to meet 21st

century needs. Most are

concluding that creativity (and not just the arts) need to be written into the core

script.8

Ebrington and Derry could become a pilot for the integration of learning and

creativity in Northern Ireland

business development: Derry~Londonderrys dependence on public sector

employment should be counterbalanced with new business formation and growth in

the creative field. The creative sector has become one of the major growth sectors in

the United Kingdom and the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster could provide a focus

8We understand that DCMS are about to announce for England the setting up of an independent Youth Culture

Trust (mirroring the Youth Sports Trust established over a decade ago) which will oversee the development of the

cultural offer including the implementation of five hours experience of culture for every child every week.


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for new business activities. Through the development of Ebrington as an Arts &

Culture Cluster, there should be encouragement for a wide range of residents to

become involved in the active production of arts & culture and not just in its

consumption a participatory model of engagement (ie not solely consumption-based)

visitor numbers: Ebrington should be one of the key visitor attractions for

Derry~Londonderry and the North West of Ireland and draw visitors from Derry, the

North West border region, Northern Ireland, the island of Ireland and further afield;

Ebrington should be integrated closely into the NITB tourism strategy (including

recent ambitions regarding cultural tourism) and the newly commissioned tourism

strategy for Derry City Council

inward investment: the Ebrington development will itself offer space for inward

investment projects; however, more generally it will promote Derry~Londonderry as

a location for knowledge-intensive and creative9

employers who are looking for an

attractive base to operate and recruit a highly skilled workforce; similar flagship

cultural developments have proved catalytic in this regard

Digital Derry: the Ebrington development could become a prominent component of a

Digital Derry. The Walled City is already a wifi zone to be accessed by businesses,

students, pupils and visitors. Ebrington offers obvious expansion potential for the

technology and its use across the footbridge, helping to create a virtual environment

which could be expanded to cover the whole city

change the image and perception of the site (and the city) domestically and

internationally: this project will provide the means to move Derry forward and

transform negative perceptions surrounding the Troubles and hardships endured by

the different communities and make a positive statement on Derrys future.

3.8 Once the initiative is underway, these objectives need to be converted into smart (specific,

measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) objectives to be associated with the support

given to the initiative, its management body, partners and sponsors.

Activities soft animation

3.9 The project will consist of a range of soft animation and hard physical measures. The

soft measures will work with existing arts & culture providers in deepening and widening

provision in the city. The project should employ a wide range of mechanisms including:

an events-based strategy which is structured around a series of one-off or regular

occasions; this could include community events (such as Halloween or New Year

celebrations) or stagings or screenings of live or recorded music, drama, operatic,

cinema or sporting performances (such as Last Night of the Proms, Opera in the Park

or Metropolitan Opera Live). To draw well known events such as the Last Night of

the Proms to a location requires extensive lobbying and networking

9For the importance of creativity see: Bernard Marr (the Advanced Performance Institute) and Owen Murray

(Delivery & Innovation Division, Business Consultancy Service) : Creative Northern Ireland: Interview Feedback.

Department for Finance and Personnel


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a festival-based strategy to celebrate specific aspects and/or themes of the city and

the site in regular intervals. Such festivals are organised in different frequencies

including annual events (such as Edinburgh Festival), on a bi-annual basis (biennale)

such as the Venice Biennale - or even more infrequently like the Documenta in

Kassel which takes place every five years. Festivals cater for an extensive range of art

forms (including visual arts, music, literature, film etc) and are designed to meet a

wide range of ambitions; they tend to gather momentum and reputation over time.Derry~Londonderry is already the location of the Foyle Film Festival and the City of

Derry Jazz Festival and there would appear no obstacle to adding a visual arts festival

to this suite of events

Box 3-1 : The Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years (in odd years) in Venice.Other festivals such as the Venice Film Festival and the Venice Architecture Biennale (held in even years) are part ofit. A dance section, the International Festival of Contemporary Art, was established in 1999.

Established in 1895, the Biennale has an attendance today of over 300,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition. In 2007,Robert Storr became the first director from the United States to curate the 52

ndedition of the Biennale entitled Think

with the Senses Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense.

Source:www labiennale.org

Table 3-2: Documenta Kassel

Documenta was founded in 1955 by the artist and arts teacher Arnold Bode. His objectives was that after years offascist dictatorship, the German public should be re-acquainted with international modern art and its own historic role.The exhibition is also known as The Museum of the 100 days and the 12

thDocumenta took place in 2007.

The singular character of the exhibition is maintained through the appointment of a new director every five years.

Documenta 12 was organised under three leitmotifs: Is modernity our antiquity? What is bare life? And What is to bedone?

Source: www.documenta12.de

comprehensive pre-launching programmes to prepare the opening of galleries and

major arts venues. Relevant examples include the pre-opening programme run by the

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead or the Middlesbrough Institute of

Modern Art (mima) (for further information on these initiatives see the comparator

analysis in Appendix B). A pre-launching programme would be of particular

importance for this development for the following reasons: the Ebrington site at

present is neither associated with arts & culture activities nor with cross-cutting

community initiatives. It will take time for this perception to change and the sooner

this process is got underway the better. Moreover, as mentioned earlier in this

chapter, softer activities are meant to shape the harder physical developments rather

than vice versa

curation and leadership: organising and programming the wide range of softanimation measures will require the appointment of an artistic and/or festival director

- or a directorial team - recruited and/or appointed from within the international

arena. The individual to be appointed needs to be visionary, creative, innovative and

highly sympathetic to what is to be achieved with the Ebrington Arts & Culture

Cluster, bringing out the best from the local artistic scene and at the same time


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stretching the horizon towards an international outlook. There will need to be

provision for the recruitment of an individual with international credentials and

recognition

collections: some arts venues are based on permanent collections while others are

being curated on the basis of commissioning programmes or indeed purely on the

basis of loans; given that the acquisition of a permanent collection is extremely

expensive and a loan programme tends to work best when there are permanent

exhibits to offer in exchange for loaned artefacts, a commissioning programme would

seem to be the best route for the Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster; this is all the more

the case because the commissioning programme could be started almost immediately,

once funding has been secured, with a view for art to be exhibited in the buildings as

they are now, in various stages of disrepair. Working towards a permanent collection

given the specific space requirements and insurance risks could only happen once

the building renovation has been completed

archives: Derry City Council's Heritage and Museum Service holds an extensive

local authority archive collection and is the only local authority archive operating in

Northern Ireland outside of Belfast. Accessing archives is becoming increasinglyimportant as an aspect of visitor experiences and that having accessible archives

(supported by digital means). We understand that there are some caveats regarding

the safe storage of archive materials that require strict environmental controls but

hope that such requirements can be designed into the physical development of the

historical buildings. Also, the City of London holds extensive archives on the

Honourable the Irish Society and there is a strong interest in making them available to

audiences in Northern Ireland. There are a number of options to establish a rolling

programme of exhibitions and also allow for electronic access to these archives.

Strong environmental controls will be equally important for the safe-keeping of these

collections. There is also a clear focus in contemporary art practice, internationally,

on memory building and archiving. Ebringtons proposed capacities, therefore, offer

significant dynamic linkages and engagement, across programming strands on the site

Box 3-3 : Derry City Councils Heritage and Museum Service

Derry City Council's Heritage and Museum Service: The collection includes archives from both public and privateorigin. The collection includes minute books (from various committees) and correspondence dating from 1673,detailing the development of the city during the Derry~Londonderry Corporation period, Rural District Council and thecurrent Derry City Council. The collection also includes reports, legal deeds and a large collection of architecturaldrawings. The Service also holds a limited photographic collection.

The private collections have been donated to the Service over the p revious years and mainly relate to the Textilesindustry, Trade Unions and the 'Troubles' period. There is also an extensive collection of material relating to theSecond World War and private educational institutes in the city. Other archives are the McCorkell Shipping linerecords and archives held in the City of London.

Box 3-4: City of London Archives/The Honourable the Irish Society

The records of the Honourable the Irish Society held at London Metropolitan Archives consist of administrativerecords, including court and committee minutes, letter books and declaration books; legal papers and cases; deeds,including fee farm rents; estate management records, including surveys and rent rolls; subjects files, includingfisheries, schools, grants, Kilrea Estate and Society House; financial records; plans; financial material; historicalpapers. All the records date between 1613 and 1983.


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artists residencies: part of a commissioning programme could be the provision of

space for artists to create site-specific installations; the launch of these works could

be integrated into the events and festival strategy

international peer linkages: it will be essential to draw in international peer linkages

and networks as a way of enhancing Ebringtons international recognition.

Encouraging these links to grow organically will be an important component to

developing the cluster.

commissioning budget: there also needs to be an allowance for a commissioning

budget. While some artists may be able to bring their own grants and bursaries with

them, there should be some flexibility to commission work particularly site and

place-specific work - beyond those restrictions. The budgetary provision could be

through an endowment or a revenue budget

country exchanges: there might be possibilities arising from exchange arrangements

with other countries, possibly facilitated through links with embassies. Such

international links could be particularly relevant if they are organised around themes

of global relevance and particular significance to Derry~Londonderry such as peace,

conflict, reconciliation, division, unification etc

time scale: as mentioned before, it will be counterproductive to expect too much too

soon; softer animation measures take time to gather momentum and get embedded.

Physical developments

3.10 The animation of the space and evolving uses should inform the physical development of the

site and buildings; therefore the early development of the site must be such as not to impede

potential future uses and the flexibility of the site; only in this way will it be possible for

Ebrington to acquire a unique character which will work towards the objective of putting

Derry~Londonderry on the international map.

3.11 The following sketches have been developed to provide an impression of possible phasings of

the development to achieve its objectives and allow enough flexibility for the softer animation

to shape the site.


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3.12 The costs for the full schedule of building works are summarised in Annex C and amount to

just over 20 million for the renovation of existing buildings, just under 9 million for new

builds and just under 6 million for site clearing expenditure.

3.13 With a development contingency of about 10%, this gives a full building and construction

budget of some 39 million. 10

10 Funding levels corresponding to the proposed phasing will be tabled at the Steering Group meeting scheduled

for 7 January 2008.


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4: Market demand and impact assessment (new)

Market demand

4.1 The market demand for services and facilities to be offered on the Ebrington complex hasbeen estimated by using comparator data of other attractions in Ireland, North and South. The

major attractions are all based either on outstanding natural attractions (Cliffs of Moher and

Giants Causeway) or are located in Dublin. No cultural (as opposed to natural) attraction

outside Dublin attracted in excess of 250,000 visitors in 2006 (see Annex E). Indeed, a large

number of broadly defined cultural attractions are drawing very few visitors and

undifferentiated local museums and art galleries seem to struggle to attract significant visitor

numbers.

4.2 Some of Derry~Londonderrys attractions do well, with the Walls standing out at just over

200,000 visitors (although the number of visitors to this attraction can only be estimated as

there is no clear control of access which would allow accurate numbers). St Columbs

Cathedral and the Bogside Artists are also performing well.

4.3 However, while visitor numbers are very important, success for the Ebrington complex will

not only be expressed in terms of visitor numbers. The ambition is that the initiative will

break the mould, creating a must see attraction with international reach and will contribute

to a change in the image (including the self-image) of the city. As such, it would not be

sufficient for the Arts & Culture complex to achieve its visitor numbers by repeat local visits

from, for example, a local educational market. Instead, the Ebrington complex needs to add

considerably to the visitor attraction in the North West and attract new and additional visitors

from across Northern Ireland and internationally. This is also important for optimising the

economic impact of the scheme because visitors from different origins have very different

expenditure patterns and hence economic impacts.

4.4 Demand will also depend on the wider economic and social environment in which the

initiative will take place. There is a chance of a virtuous circle where initial achievements

associated with the portfolio of projects currently underway in Derry~Londonderry will lead

to a more successful project on terms of visitor numbers and impacts. Such a scenario could

have the following components:

increased inward investment projects. There is a hope to attract high quality

knowledge-based jobs to Ebrington and other regeneration sites in the city; this would

increase the number of high quality jobs as well as generate more value-added

opportunities and set in train a wide range of beneficial multiplier effects. There is

evidence from other arts and culture schemes that mobile investment projects are

attracted by quality of life factors and a thriving arts and culture scene is one of the

key components for achieving these benefits

small business development. Any development project will lead to a wide range of

additional business opportunities in services and manufacturing for which local

businesses will be extremely well placed


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new businesses. There are a number of routes through which there could be

opportunities for new business formation in the field of arts, culture and tourism and

more generally to service new larger business coming into Derry~Londonderry. Such

business formation could be supported through targeted activities in the field of

enterprise creation

investment in infrastructure. Increased funding allocated to large scale

infrastructure project (for instance regarding transport and telecommunications) as

part of initiatives to strengthen cross-border activities.

Scenarios for Ebringtons performance

4.5 Three different scenarios have been considered which have been titled:

modest success

good success

outstanding success.

4.6 To be realistic, it has been assumed that it is unlikely for a cultural attraction in

Derry~Londonderry to receive the same number of visitors as an outstanding physical

attraction or if the same attraction was based in Dublin. This is a reflection of the scale of the

local population and of the local tourism market, at least at present. It is also clear that

comparators based in Great Britain or in major metropolitan areas of the European Union will

be of limited relevance. The highest achieving attractions in Ireland which are not natural and

are outside Dublin are W5 (The Online Discovery Centre) with 235,946 visitors, the Ulster

Museum with 211,000 visitors, Derrys Walls with 207,200 visitors and the Ulster Folk and

Transport Museum with 170,950 visitors.

4.7 Behind this backdrop of achievements of other attractions, outstanding success for the

Ebrington Arts & Culture Cluster would involve equalling the performance of theseestablished attractions and, for the purposes of our impact calculations, we have taken

outstanding success as representing 200,000 annual admissions.

4.8 At the other end of the spectrum, the modest success scenario must involve the Ebrington

complex performing significantly better than the range of existing local museums and art

galleries, none of which exceeded 30,000 admissions in 2006; if the Ebrington development

were to fall into this range of admissions, it would have clearly failed to realise the ambitions

for it. The modest success scenario is therefore based on annual admissions of 50,000. This

would position Ebrington between St Columbs Cathedral and the North Down Heritage

Centre in the existing hierarchy of attractions.

4.9 The good (but not outstanding) success scenario needs to fall between the other two scenariosand is therefore based on 100,000 admissions per year. This would position Ebrington

between the Belleek Pottery and Carrickfergus Castle in the existing hierarchy of attractions.


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The composition of demand

4.10 Table 4.1 below sets out some of the differences in the characteristics of the three scenarios.

Table 4-1 Characteristics of different demand scenarios

Scenario Characteristics

Modest Success visitors are mainly local and VFRs (visiting friends and relatives)

also attractive to those who are already visiting the city

broadens range of attractions and may encourage some discretionaryexpenditure by locals and visitors but some of this might displace spendingelsewhere in the North West

Good Success a stronger representation of holiday visitors

some may chose to visit the City because of Ebrington, probably insubstitution for other locations in Northern Ireland or the North West

however, limited inter-regional and international pull

Outstanding success strong image effect through intensive international linkages

most additional visitors are discretionary pure holiday visitors with higher

expenditure patterns who would not otherwise be attracted to the North West

some business visitors may also be attracted, potentially adding to the citysconference and business tourism market

significant contribution to confidence in the city as a place to live, work, visitand invest.

4.11 Essentially, the modest success scenario is one which would be characterised by use of the

Ebrington complex by relatively low spenders who would have been likely to spend their time

and money in the North West even in the absence of the Ebrington complex. In moving to the

good success and outstanding success, the attraction brings to the North West people who are

likely to spend more and who would not have been likely to have spent their money in the

absence of Ebrington.

Marketing

4.12 In order to maximise the potential impacts stemming from Ebrington (and the various other

regeneration schemes currently underway in Derry~Londonderry) and to achieve the

outstanding success scenario, there will need to be a wide range of supporting marketing

activities at the local, regional (including cross-border) and national levels:

the tourism offer needs to be marketed from the perspective of Derry City Councils

tourism unit (including the events management team), those charged with

encouraging cross-border tourism as well as national bodies, in particular given the

emerging strategic importance attached to cultural tourism and the significanceattributed to the signature projects on part of the Northern Ireland Tourism Board; the

work on the new tourism strategy recently commissioned jointly by City of Derry

Council and Ilex should start putting in place the building blocks for this work


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responsibilities for the marketing of the inward investment offer equally need to be

allocated between those responsible at the local, cross-border and national level.

There is a need for an extensive programme of place marketing which will put

Derry~Londonderry on the map for high quality inward investment projects

regarding the cultural offer, there is scope for a wide range of audience development

initiatives through events management and educational initiatives at the level of

schools, further and higher education.

in general, the place marketing of Derry~Londonderry needs to take account of the

changing fabric of the citys offer. It needs to get across to potential visitors and

investors the transformational changes that are making the city a special place to visit,

live, work and invest.

Impact assessment

4.13 Annex E derives calculations for the likely economic impacts stemming from the three

scenarios for the North West and for Northern Ireland. While these are only illustrative

assumptions, they have been put forward as a reasonable illustration and are consistent withavailable data. Assumptions include deadweight calculations which vary between scenarios,

ranging from 95% for the modest success to 20% for pure holiday visitors and 10% for

business visitors in the outstanding success scenario.

4.14 The calculated economic impact of the three scenarios is as follows:

modest success: 181k; this scenario brings only modest economic benefits and

these might be more than fully offset by ant operating loss of the complex at this low

level of visitor numbers and low additionality of impact

good success: 1,152m; the good success scenario brings an annual additional

spending of in excess of one million to the North West and this scenario is also less

likely to be associated with potential operating losses on the Ebrington site

outstanding success: 4,195m; this scenario brings an estimated additional spend of

4.2 million per annum to the North West and this scenario is also much less likely to

be associated with operating losses.

4.15 Applying first round tourism multipliers of 1.3 to the outstanding success scenario increases

the additional spend to close on 5.5m per year.

4.16 These calculations will include some element of tourism spending which might otherwise

have occurred in Northern Ireland which has been diverted to the North West. It therefore

represents a possible overestimate of the benefits to Northern Ireland as a whole although

the distributional shift of expenditure from Northern Ireland generally to the North Westmight be regarded as an economic benefit in its own right because of the high degree of

deprivation in the North West and the degree of economic overheating in the Belfast region.


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Implications of the analysis

4.17 While this analysis is very preliminary, the immediate and clear implication is that

mediocrity will not do. Achievement of the objectives for the Ebrington complex will

require an ambitious and internationally oriented development of a must-see cluster. Only

this will be the required step change in the economic performance of Derry~Londonderry and

of the North West. This in turn has implications not only for the content of what is still an

emerging concept but also for the international positioning and marketing budgets which will

be required for a successful development. The positioning must be truly distinctive and the

marketing budget provision must be of a scale to make credible an outcome comparable with

the outstanding success scenario.


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5: Organisation, management and funding

Organisation

5.1 Ebrington is a complex redevelopment site which (as set out in the masterplan) will becomposed of a range of functions housing (both private and social), commercial and office

uses, convenience shopping etc. Much of the site is to be cleared to provide for these

developments but its most visible and precious component (historically, architecturally and

culturally) the Star Fort, the Parade Ground and the buildings in its immediate vicinity is

unequivocally seen as important as a facility for cultural and community good. The

challenge for this feasibility study is to understand the range of uses that the Ebrington Arts &

Culture Cluster will reasonably afford, building on local capacity, aspiration and the

investment potential. In order to realise the concept of the cluster, it needs to be composed of

a number of different entities with differing operating and business models which might

consist of:

a major gallery in the Star Fort; this will operate as the hub of the cluster, the definingfeature that both provides in-house exhibitions and drives forward a visionary

contemporary visual arts agenda linked to an understanding of historical work that is

both local and global

a number of independent voluntary cultural organisations perhaps with a specific

facility in Ebrington while their headquarters remain elsewhere; a number of the

organisations consulted are interested in having space at Ebrington to provide

additional complementary activity to their core business

an exhibition dealing with the historic interpretation of the site which could, for

example, be run by the Tower Museum or be an independently constituted company;

the story of Ebrington must be told

access to archive material from Derry City Council and the Honourable the Irish

Society

an intelligent audience facility that might be run by an existing organisation or an

education charity or institution; the interest of Screen NI is significant here as well as

the identified need by other organisations, the Nerve Centre in particular

a range of private sector commercial developments such as retail outlets, bars and

cafes some internal within the main buildings but others in premises around the

Parade Ground; this might include commercial arts and crafts outlets (building on the

expertise of galleries such as Gordons) as well as local restaurateurs

the management of the Parade Ground as a space available for a variety of

promotions from markets to concerts to fairs; this might be a newly constituted events

company linked to tourism organisations.


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overall, a need to offer flexibility in the creativity and use of these different spaces

which in itself will help to create vibrancy and continued interest in Ebrington and

Derry~Londonderry

5.2 The range of options is considerable but it is important at this stage to focus on the gallery as

the main driver and the management and operational challenges the need to be addressed;

without the gallery at the centre, the cluster cannot be constructed.

5.3 The gallery is the heart of the development The Star Fort both spatially, historically and

culturally. As a cultural facility for the public good, it will require a measure of public sector

funding but must have the independence to raise significant sources from trusts, foundations

and the private sector. There are a number of company models that might be used but there

must be the intention to seek charitable status to be best positioned to raise funds. It is

suggested that trustees and board members are high profile and well-connected to both the

social and commercial fabric of Ireland and to the international arts world.

Links into the wider cultural offer in Derry~Londonderry

5.4 We understand that there are ongoing considerations to restructure the arts and culture offer

within the remit of Derry City Council by creating a trust which would operate somewhat at

arms length from the Council. Exa

Edbrington Clutural Cluster Final Draft Composite Draft Final Report

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