Crediton Heart Project Feasibility Study and Business Plan

The Crediton Heart Project Keeping the Heart in Crediton Feasibility Study and Business Plan October 2019 Foreword from Julian Stoneman Crediton Heart Project Patron Like so many of you, I was very excited when I first heard about the Crediton Heart Project. As someone born and bred in the town, with a lifelong passion for the performing arts, I was sure that a new community building with a cinema and larger performance space would be a real asset to Crediton and the surrounding area. It will take a lot of time, energy and hard work to achieve this admirable goal. However, much has already been achieved. The Stakeholder Consultation, which 28 of the organisations who play such an important part in our community attended, was an important first step and you can read more about what they said in this document. Then came the Public Consultation which received an extraordinary 600 plus responses. Again, you can read more about what people think about the project below but take a look at some highlights below. You will see that while most of the comments are positive, some of you have concerns about the impact of such a new space on the community and the environment. This is understandable and I believe you will find many of these are addressed in this Feasibility Study and Business Plan – the next step towards delivering the goals of the Project. I hope you find reading this document as interesting and rewarding as I have done. Julian Stoneman’s interest in the theatre started in Crediton as a member of CODS and working at Exeter Northcott Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth, after studying at the Bristol Old Vic, he has spent the last 30 years working worldwide in live theatre, concert and event production. He is Managing Director of Media Productions and Solutions International Ltd and a Board Member of Historic Royal Palaces, along with being Patron of the performing arts college I. C. Theatre in Brighton and Manchester. Foreword from Luke & Harry Treadaway Crediton Heart Project Patrons Harry Treadaway Whilst the saying goes “all you need is bare boards and passion” (to perform), it is undeniable that modern technology and appropriate facilities greatly enhance both the enjoyment and opportunities of all art forms. This is something that is even more important since so much funding for the arts has been taken away from schools in the last few years. A town with a cinema is a better place to live. A town with a space that can grow talent in all areas of the arts is a better place to grow up in. And a town with a venue to cater for all different types of community- based projects is a town with a heart. The Crediton Heart project is about more than just developing a venue. It is searching for a better town, community and way of life, for all inhabitants, on stage, off stage and in the audience. The Crediton Heart Project has my full, unwavering support and a very special place in my heart. Luke Treadaway I was very lucky to grow up near Crediton. There has always been a vibrant and strong support for the arts with a lot of brilliant opportunities in drama and music. A combination of these led me and many others from the area to careers in the arts we are so lucky to enjoy today. To keep and expand these opportunities for future generations would be an invaluable asset to the community. To have a venue that could provide a space for learning and enjoying performance and cinema would benefit everyone living in the area and the many who would certainly visit from elsewhere. I am very proud to support the Crediton Heart Project and wish it all the success it deserves. Harry and Luke grew up in Sandford, attended QE Academy in Crediton and began their acting careers in school productions. While still at school they joined the National Youth Theatre and have since carved out successful careers – from award-winning West End theatre runs to Hollywood films. Last year Harry played Roddy Llewellyn in ‘The Crown’ and will play the Romulan Narek in ‘Star Trek:Picard’. Luke has recently appeared in Agatha Christie’s ‘Ordeal by Innocence’ and ‘Fortitude’ and will reprise his role as James Bowen in the feature ‘A Gift from Bob.’ Executive Summary This Feasibility Study and Business Plan were commissioned by the Crediton Heart Project and written between June and October 2019. They describe the creation of a building to offer a range of arts, community and business support functions for the people of Crediton. The reports are built on work stretching back over the last four years, which was initiated by a local group, Crediton Town Team, who are working to support the vibrancy of the town. They have their basis in substantial research and consultation. In particular: • A process of community consultation involving Commonplace, the online community engagement platform, achieved just over 600 responses; • 70 potential stakeholders were surveyed, with a response rate of nearly 50%; • Market analysis carried out by an independent marketing professional, including use of market data and comparator research. This has given us a good understanding of the potential demand for the range of facilities and services that the Heart Project could offer and has enabled us to develop a business plan to demonstrate its potential viability. It is quite clear that any such facility will need to operate without subsidy. It will also need to complement the existing range of provision within Crediton and its surrounds, rather than competing with it, and this has been taken into account throughout. What has become clear is that there is significant demand for a mixed-use building which would support arts, community and business. Notable features would include: A theatre space with c. 250 seats. There is a demand from local groups, but it would also be used for promoted events and non-performance activity; A space to show films. The community survey highlighted considerable support for this; Rooms for activities including rehearsals and exercise classes, but also practical/creative activities; Facilities for small businesses and for the self-employed. Mid-Devon has a significantly high number of self-employed people and opportunities for them to grow their businesses will benefit the local economy. This would need to complement existing provision. Feedback from the community survey highlighted a belief that the building should support young people within Crediton. This could include arts or leisure activities aimed at them. The business plan has demonstrated that a mixed-economy model could be sustainable (although funding would need to be raised for projects with/for young people). It would need to pitch ticket prices and hire charges carefully and would rely on the support of its community as volunteers in many respects (although there would be a small core staff team). Further work would need to be done on the business plan once a specific building has been identified, since some areas such as overheads are very hard to project in abstract. The Feasibility Study identifies the three next steps in what will inevitably be quite a long process: • The development of the Heart of Crediton website - already underway; • The appointment of an architect to pursue an architect-led feasibility study, to give a shape to the project; • The development of a fundraising strategy. Rebecca Morland Rebecca Morland Arts Management November 2019 Rebecca Morland Arts Management Introduction The starting point for almost every community venture such as this, is a perceived need to add to the existing spaces, facilities and opportunities for a range of local activities. The goal will almost certainly be to enhance and benefit the lives of those within the community. The journey towards achieving this successfully will involve a feasibility study at an early stage to demonstrate the viability of such a project. Usually, feasibility studies will be based on one of three scenarios. Firstly, they will be the result of the need to develop an existing building further, so that it can continue to serve its existing or potential users. Secondly, they can result from a passion for a derelict building and the need to identify a new use for it and demonstrate that this would be viable. A third scenario is that members of a community believe strongly that there are unmet needs within their community which they want to address. The Crediton Heart Project falls into this scenario. In the first two scenarios, feasibility studies can be built around a very clear idea about the needs that a particular building could serve, and around a site that has already been identified. The study would then include a collaboration between an architect and other consultants, and the outline designs and subsequent costings. In this case, a building or site has not yet been identified, and the actual uses of the building have not yet been clearly defined. Part of the process of this Feasibility Study therefore involves refining potential uses and developing some clarity about its requirements which will influence a potential site. This does have some implications. Firstly, it means that a further piece of work will have to be done involving an architect which builds on the conclusions of this Study. Secondly, it means that there are going to be limits to what the business plan element of the study can achieve (especially the financial forecasts) without a potential building in place. And finally, it will always be harder to inspire and excite potential users without a tangible end- result. However, there are benefits to this approach.

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