Wanted: Cultural Tenant for New Home in Nine Elms

Cultural organisations are invited to pitch for a new permanent residence in the heart of Nine Elms.

The 750 square metre cultural space will become available in Embassy Gardens from 2019, and will be offered on reduced terms thanks to a legal agreement between the site’s owner, EcoWorld Ballymore and Wandsworth Council.

Applications are welcome from any number of organisations who work in the arts, and bids from any art form or creative discipline will be considered provided they make good use of the space. Organisations wishing to use all or just part of the space, or who express interest in partnership with others, are also welcome to apply.

Bidders are also encouraged to explain how they will work with local communities and engage existing arts and cultural groups through collaborative programming.

Location

The Embassy Gardens cultural space will be located on Ponton Road in Nine Elms, next to the new US Embassy and its surrounding business quarter and the new Nine Elms Park.

Nine Elms
The new venue is one of several new creative spaces secured by Wandsworth Council as part of an area-wide cultural development strategy for Nine Elms.

Transport
The area’s two new Northern Line Tube stations open in 2020 and tech giant Apple expects to occupy its nearby ‘campus’ the following year.

The site
On offer is a site across two floors, lending itself to a variety of programming activity, on a 25-year lease at a peppercorn rent. The lease will be retained and managed by EcoWorld Ballymore who will also work collaboratively with the cultural organisation on a basic fit-out of the space to suit their needs.  EcoWorld Ballymore will also contribute an additional budget toward meanwhile cultural programming around Embassy Gardens for the first couple of years.

Footfall
The space will benefit from high levels of footfall, with the embassy alone expected to attract around 2,500 visitors a day.

Applying
To be considered, organisations must complete a written application by Friday 28 April 2017. Shortlisted organisations will then be invited to an interview with a panel comprised of experts from the cultural sector, Wandsworth Council and EcoWorld Ballymore.

The process
Applications will be judged according to a set of criteria, which include examples of how the organisation can demonstrate commitment to its existing local community, and provide year-round programming and opportunities for public engagement.  Organisations will be required to evidence financial stability.

Managed by
The call-out process is being managed by Create Associates and the agreement brokered with support from Enable Leisure and Culture.

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