Village Raw - ISSUE 6

VILLAGE RAW
PARTNER CONTENT
COMMUNITY MATTERS
We will continue to consult the local community over the future of
Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre, says Piers Read, the managing partner
of The Time + Space Co., which is leading the restoration:
it’s only the beginning of the conversation, not the end.
Words by Carla Parks.
What would you like to see happen at Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre
when the restoration is completed? It’s a question that could
have many answers depending on your perspective. A clearer picture
of what the local community wants has emerged as a result of
a Haringey-wide consultation undertaken late last year. Most said
they would like it to become a creative hub, showcasing and developing
talent in a welcoming space that is available to everyone.
The consultation – run independently by the Audience Agency
– consisted of an online survey, one-to-one interviews and three
workshops. Some 60% of the survey responses came from the N8
postcode, with additional input gathered from N4, N10, N11 and
N19. Of those, 60% want there to be programming with a visual
arts focus, while 40% said they would like to see partnerships with
local artists and performers.
“The consultation is an excellent foundation that we can build
upon. The feedback sits very harmoniously with our intentions,”
says Piers Read, the managing partner of The Time + Space Co.,
the arts operator that is leading the arts centre’s renaissance.
Piers, who lives in Crouch End, explains that he wants to better
understand the community’s aspirations for Hornsey Town Hall
Arts Centre and how to cater to their needs. He envisions the arts
centre as a highly flexible space that will host the community, small
businesses and freelancers, and the wider creative arts sector.
Pivotal to this will be a steering group that will ensure community
access is a priority after the restoration, in keeping with the
results of the consultation. Piers believes that a primary function
of this group, the brainchild of Hornsey Town Hall Trust, should be
helping to develop the cultural offer at the arts centre. “Inclusivity
is key”, he says, and he is eager that it should work “collaboratively”,
with participants proactively curating the artistic programme
and output. It is envisaged that the group will promote end users
including local businesses and arts and community organisations,
ranging from the Crouch End Players to the police, while an artistic
director will be appointed to lead on the programming and events.
One concern that emerged from the consultation was cost.
But the tariffs for artistic programmes will be “competitive and
affordable”, given the location, size and quality of the venue,
with subsidy initiatives being explored for the unemployed and
children. They have based their pricing on similar arts centres
and venues in the area, he says, including Jackson’s Lane in
Highgate, Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, artsdepot in
Finchley, and the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, and it’s something
they will keep monitoring.
However, a balance needs to be struck between the commercial
use and the community use, he adds, as the arts centre will
not receive a public subsidy and must be commercially viable. The
business plan is predicated on delivering community access, as
well as private hires on full commercial rates. Corporate and civic
functions, and elements of the redevelopment, including the hotel,
will have different price points. The arts centre’s renovation will be
funded largely by the sale of flats on the site. The result will be that
the Grade II listed building will be removed from Historic England’s
“at-risk” register and turned into a first-class arts centre.
Piers stresses the survey is only the starting point for ideas
about its future. The Time + Space Co. will be transparent about
plans, he says, continuing the conversation with more parts of
the borough, and maintaining an open-door policy for locals.
Some parts of Haringey didn’t take part in the survey, and Piers is
keen to bring everyone on board. “This is a borough-wide opportunity
and we want accessibility to extend across the borough,”
he tells Village Raw. “This is not just about Crouch End. There is a
wider opportunity that must include people from further afield.”
The Time + Space Co. will be reaching out to “key influencers”
in Haringey and inviting them to collaborate on different initiatives.
Piers uses the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham as an example.
He envisages partnerships with “like-minded organisations”, including
tie-ups with children’s groups who use the Tottenham space
and those using the arts centre at Hornsey Town Hall. Another aim
is to use the arts centre as a place for learning and educational development,
potentially leading to direct employment for some.
The next step, says Piers, is to get people excited about the
pending renovation and to move the project from a “mythical
thing” to something that’s tangible. To cement some of the shorter-term
plans, The Time + Space Co. is hosting a special event that
will provide a glimpse of the future operation, reveal the survey’s
full details, and examine how the results of the consultation will
shape the future arts centre. It will take place at the new reception
adjacent to the original box office for the Assembly Hall. There will
be drinks, canapés and a presentation by the Audience Agency. •
If you are interested in coming to the event at 6pm on Thursday 11 April, please RSVP
to: boxoffice@hthartscentre.com. Numbers are limited and on a first-come, firstserved
basis.
Clockwise from top: A computer-generated
projection of the reception area after
the restoration. A consultation workshop.
The Time + Space Co.’s Andrew Major (left)
and Piers Read (right).
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