Event: 6 Jun 2023: Screen Meeting with CEC Public Spaces Team:
Update on Use of Public Spaces for Events and Filming.
CEC Place set in motion the development of a Public Space Management Plan early in 2020, overseen by the Culture and Communities committee. Key Principles for the use of public open space for events and filming were set out in September 2021. Consultations continued over the course of 2022. An Update on the Use of Public Spaces for Events and Filming was given to the Culture and Communities Committee in May 2023. Further work on the shape of the framework is taking place. A final report on the policy and associated guidance will be presented to Committee in October.
An update on the programme was offered to ‘stakeholders’ on 6 June. Joan Parr, CEC Service Director for Culture and Wellbeing chaired the session. The ‘scope’ of the overall programme has expanded appreciably, post-Covid, with a marked expansion of Filming Processes, for example. It was clear that the Public Spaces Team are under a good deal of pressure to wrap it up.
The essence of the programme is the distillation of 17 Key Principles (governing applications for, granting of, and conditions of approval) into the following four Key Policy Themes:
1. Process is transparent and accountable: Digital Platform to host all proposed and approved event information; open to the public.
2. Process and activities are proportionate: Event and Filming activities have to be 'proportionate' to their location and subject to 'area conditions'.
3. Activities must have a net positive effect: Measure across 'community wealth, cultural identity, reputation, quality of life or social value'.
4. Organisers will minimise their impact: Observing physical reinstatement; sustainability (net zero) principles; industry best-practice; stakeholder engagement.
Detailed ‘Guidelines’ to govern Policy ‘application’ remain ‘in the background’ (now somewhat lost from sight, in the opinion of one attendee, this after long gestation in past consultations with interested parties, including Community Councils.) They must be brought back into sharp focus.
From a Community Council perspective (principally Old Town, New Town and West End, but not exclusively), the points repeatedly made at this session covered:
Clearly inadequate pre-advice and consultation at present on ‘events and filming’;
Poor or no advance communication of dates and locations;
A lack of Council commitment to full financial transparency and reporting of the costs and benefits to the city of a now heavy (and growing) events and filming calendar.
For the moment, direct any queries to
End/KR