About the Creative Enterprise Zones
London has Creative Enterprise Zones in Brixton (Lambeth), Tottenham (Haringey), Hackney Wick and Fish Island (Tower Hamlets and Hackney), Hounslow, Croydon and Deptford and New Cross (Lewisham). Each Zone is driven by local needs and has its own distinctive character, flavour and focus, from film and TV to fashion, music and making.
Collectively, the Zones are bringing forward more than 40,000 square metres of new, permanent, affordable workspace and 1,000 new education, training and job opportunities for local residents. They are also leveraging £30 million in partnership funding for their programmes.
History of the Zones
The UK’s first six Creative Enterprise Zones were announced by the Mayor in December 2018. Zones were determined by an open, competitive call in 2017 that invited London boroughs to bring forward their ideas. 25 boroughs applied for funding, showing the appetite for this brand-new idea. Of these, ten submissions were shortlisted and received a grant of £50,000 to develop their plan.
The role of the Zones during the COVID-19 pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Zones’ ability to provide hyper-local, grassroots support has proven essential to the survival and recovery of the sector. This has included a range of micro-commissioning, grants, rent relief and business support initiatives, designed to meet local sector needs. Since March 2020 Zones have leveraged an additional £1.6 million in local match funding, supporting more than 300 cultural organisations and businesses and helping to protect almost 100 creative jobs.
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