Ten London boroughs could be awarded £50,000 to develop 'creative quarters'

Ten London boroughs will be able to get £50,000 grants from City Hall to create their own “creative quarters” after a successful pilot scheme in Tottenham.

The creative enterprise zones will offer affordable workspaces and business rate relief to artists and new businesses with the intention of boosting jobs and the local economy.

A test project in Tottenham, north London saw creative industries growing by 127 per cent in the past five years, according to City Hall.

Mayor Sadiq Khan, said: “Our creative industries make a huge contribution to London’s reputation as an open, creative and diverse city and this success is largely thanks to our wealth of creative talent.

“We cannot afford to lose our artists and creative businesses - they power our economy and bring people together across communities. Too often artists and small businesses find themselves priced out of the very city they help bring to life.

Creative enterprise zones are a bold new initiative for London and will help to secure our future as a cultural capital.”

Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons, said: “The creative workforce is our biggest asset in London but it is under more pressure than ever. Pay is low, intellectual property is under threat and it’s hard to break in. London’s creative community is often the advance party, setting up studios in disused warehouses and venues in railway arches – breathing life into unloved neighbourhoods and increasing land values along the way.

“But this model is no longer sustainable - the cheap space is running out and creative communities are pushed out by impossible prices. The real trick is to build balanced neighbourhoods, with creative talent in the mix long-term. Creative Enterprise Zones will do just that.”