Leamington Spa Creative Quarter Masterplan November 2018 Draft v.4.1 Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Setting the scene 3. The Vision 4. Key development opportunities 5. Analysis 6. Proposals 2 LSCQ Masterplan DRAFT Leamington Spa Creative Quarter A destination for Digital and Traditional Creatives Executive Summary consultation process. It is not intended to There are now over 1,500 creative determine at this stage the use of any of businesses in Leamington employing Leamington Spa has a history of creative the key buildings within the area but does over 7,000 people. Software and digital individuals and companies. In 2016 a seek to inform and support investment companies account for half of this. report by NESTA and Creative England decision making within the area in terms of identified the town as the only creative regeneration and use. The town is part of the third largest digital cluster in the West Midlands. The town is games cluster in the UK. The games the third largest digital gaming cluster in development industry is worth £1.7bn the UK by number employed. The games Setting the Scene to the UK economy and the town has a development industry is worth £1.7bn range of studios from the AAA to the indie to the UK economy and the town has Creativity is part of Leamington Spa’s start-up, earning its name of Silicon Spa. a range of games developers, from the DNA. It has a proven track record in design The games cluster employs over 2500 internationally acclaimed to the innovative innovation across a range of sectors. highly skilled people, equating to over 10% start-up earning its name of Silicon Spa. From automotive design to camouflage of the UK total in games development. during World War II to digital revolutions, There are over 50 studios operating from This Master Plan sets out how the Creative Leamington Spa’s creativity has a global the Silicon Spa area and over 80 across Quarter could become a dynamic and impact. the Coventry & Warwickshire area. distinct destination and attraction for the district. We will fuse together historic Leamington Spa experienced massive Increasing Tourism to Leamington Spa architecture with current requirements and growth during the 19th Century as people is a vital driver to this project. Tourism is uses. The Master Plan will create new work and businesses were attracted to the spa a vital sector within the British economy spaces, active and exciting public spaces, waters. The town was granted its Royal accounting for 3.1 million jobs, 9.6% of all public art and a cluster of charter in 1838 by Queen Victoria. Much employment, £126.9bn and 9% of GDP. diverse creative activity. It is a catalyst for of this growth was focused on the north Utilising the 2016 data for specifically change to support development partners of the town and as it grew the Old Town Warwick District, the value of tourism to and stakeholders to work collectively to began to decline. the local economy is £271,709,000. deliver an ambitious range of projects. There will be a collaboration between However, the town continued to create, While Warwick and Kenilworth have a Warwick District Council (WDC), Complex innovate and diversify. During World War clear draw for the leisure tourism market Development Projects (CDP), creatives, II Leamington Spa was home to the main through their respective castles, business local communities, developers and land base of the Directorate of Camouflage, tourism is the area of greater significance owners. This collaboration of stakeholders which brought together 250 artists, for Leamington. Accordingly, it’s also will be essential in the realisation of the technicians and designers. Leading the area where there is greater growth project. abstract artist Sir Terry Frost was born potential and, as such, enhanced creative and brought up in the town. It was home facilities become all the more important. The Master Plan is aspirational - delivering to Malcolm Sayer, designer of the E-Type a vibrant environment that will support the Jaguar. And in the early 1980s a home creative sectors in the broadest terms. It computer games industry was born close targets specific requirements that have to the town – an industry that continues to been identified as part of a significant thrive to this day. Existing Workspace in Leamington Spa (Left) Large format office space in the Town Centre for Playground Games. (Middle) Pure Office, out of town serviced office space, home to a handful of creative industries. (Right) Arch Creatives, office space for Lockwood Leamington. DRAFT LSCQ Masterplan 3 4 LSCQ Masterplan DRAFT Leamington Spa Creative Quarter CDP has been appointed to work in from the business parks of the 90’s to the but would support the existing creative partnership with WDC to create inner urban fringe. Creative people spark industries in the town. a ‘masterplan’ for Leamington Spa’s creative thought in others, whether it is ‘Creative Quarter’. through street art or a chat in the local bar Where? This masterplan aims to: or café. The sector is often driven by the young and the talented, but is backed Leamington Spa is centrally located in • Identify the elements and features that by local residents and businesses who England. It is at the heart of a motorway make the creative economy in Leamington buy into change and the benefits that and railway network which can take you to: Spa vibrant and distinctive. regeneration brings to all aspects of the • Identify the key development needs community. The aspirations are to be • Central London in 1 hour and 20 minutes for the creative sector. What key places, somewhere different, authentic and • Birmingham in 30 minutes spaces and infrastructure would best diverse. • Manchester in 2 hours and 10 minutes support the further development of • Cardiff in 2 hours and 41 minutes. Leamington Spa’s Creative Quarter? Leamington Spa’s current reputation is • Glasgow in 5 hours and 3 minutes • Identify key buildings and areas that currently one of a beautiful, predominately could be regenerated and developed to middle-class Spa Town. Its outstanding Furthermore, it is in a region that is about support these aims and key development parks and gardens, regency parades and to get very noisy. Coventry City of Culture projects that could be brought forward to proximity to the Warwickshire countryside will take place in 2021, providing do this. are just a few of the reasons why opportunities for cross programming and • Identify what else needs to be done in Leamington was voted the happiest place showcasing local creative talent. The 2022 a broader sense to support our creative in England in 2017. It is within this setting Commonwealth Games will take place in economy. that one of the UKs most significant digital Birmingham with Leamington Spa as a • To establish the viability and deliverability clusters has developed. However, host location – bringing the action to the of regeneration projects to be brought as the cluster has evolved so has its edge of the Creative Quarter. forward in a coherent manner. requirements. Questions are now being asked as to whether the Georgian heritage The Master Plan area has been defined of Leamington can provide the old, urban by WDC and CDP as shown in the map This masterplan will identify a series industrial buildings that are now so desired overleaf. The ‘core’ lies to the south of river of areas within which regeneration in the creative community. and north of the Grand Union Canal and activities will be focused. It will also make includes Leamington Spa Station, Court recommendations beyond these specific However, in Old Town the buildings are Street and the Althorpe Street industrial locations for measures which would less uniform. There are the remains of area. The area has been extended north of support these key development former industrial uses and an old railway the river to include the Town Hall and Royal opportunities. Overall the ambition of the viaduct which create a much more urban Pump Rooms and Club lands. It includes masterplan across the Creative Quarter feel. It is more ‘raw’, a ‘hidden’ Leamington a number of properties and areas of land is to: and an ideal place to create a cluster with that are owned by WDC, predominantly lower property prices and easy access to car parks and light industrial or vacant • Regenerate and breathe new life into the the station for links to Birmingham, London buildings, and land that may become Old Town of Leamington Spa. and beyond. available or be developed by other • Build upon and reinforce the importance landowners. of the Creative and Digital Industries in There is already of core of creatives in and Leamington Spa. around Old Town with a heavy emphasis • Create a vibrant, unique and desirable on dance and theatre at Spencer Yard. destination for residents, employers and Larger corporate gamers such as Sega visitors alike. Hardlight and Ubisoft Leamington are just to the north of the River Leam and smaller companies occupy premises in Old Town. Why Old Town, Why Now? Yet the change in the area is slow. There is not yet a critical mass of activity, and The Creative Industries sector adds over much of this activity is not very apparent. £80bn to the UK economy and is growing The place simply does not feel very at twice the national average, yet unlike creative. Furthermore, the creative sector other sectors it is incredibly diverse would benefit from greater diversity. It is covering a spectrum of activities with one heavily reliant on the gaming industry. The key defining element – its people and their advantage of a diverse creative cluster in ability to think ‘outside the box’.