CULTURAL projects in the Faithful City may soon get a welcome cash boost after Worcester City Council revealed how it could spend £5million of Levelling-Up funding.
The council has been given a deadline of May 10 to submit its plans for the funding, which was announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Spring Budget.
A list of mooted projects has been drawn up which could benefit from the Levelling-Up cash.
The authority’s Policy and Resources Committee will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 23, where members will be asked to decide which of the proposed projects are included in the bid to the Government.
The council’s 12 proposed projects focus on ‘education through heritage’, ‘community arts’ and ‘outdoor performance.’
The largest proposed project would come through a £1.6million bid to help the experience at the upcoming Scala Arts Venue by bringing back into use two mezzanine floors at the adjoining Corn Exchange building.
The cash, if approved, would be used to create space for more events and exhibitions, alongside next-level catering facilities.
The council will consider whether to spend £900,000 at Pitchcroft to create a sustainable events venue with improved access, better security, and standing facilities including power and water.
Councillors will also decide whether to refurbish the grade II listed Gheluvelt Park bandstand and build new performance and family social spaces at Cripplegate Park, with new accessible toilets in both locations.
The improvements to Worcester’s two premier parks would cost £742,000 if greenlit.
Other ideas include spending £500,000 to create a new learning centre at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and using £233,000 to create a welcoming social space for young people in
Angel Place, next to the Scala arts venue, with new outdoor furniture, planting and lighting.
Under the conditions set by the Government, the £5million funding would need to be spent on cultural projects by March 2026.
The full list of proposed cultural projects are below:
Education through heritage
City Art Gallery & Museum – £500,000 for the creation of a new Learning Centre, where school pupils, activity programmes and special interest groups can get hands-on with the museum’s artefacts.
Tudor House Museum – £298,000 for the creation of a new multi-functional education centre within the building.
Battle of Worcester sculpture – £50,000 for a new national monument to a key battle of the English Civil War. The distinctive steel sculpture, by Ken Potts (who made the Elgar Statue in Worcester High Street) will be positioned in Sidbury.
Community arts
Next-level food at the Corn Exchange – £1.6 million to strengthen the offer at the forthcoming Scala arts venue by bringing back into use two mezzanine floors at the adjoining Corn Exchange building, to create space for more events and exhibitions, alongside next-level catering facilities.
Angel Place is your space – £233,000 to create a welcoming social space for young people in Angel Place next to and delivered by the Scala arts venue, with new outdoor furniture, planting and lighting.
Scala co-working space – £350,000 to purchase 6 Angel Place for use as office and storage space for the Scala arts venue, providing an on-site co-working space for artistic companies to create work.
Arts in the Arches – £200,000 for additional internal cladding at the refurbished arches in Cherry Tree walk, to secure the future of the community of artistic businesses based there.
Music Box – £65,000 for a mobile music vehicle that will travel to schools, venues and events in Worcester.
Community stage – £22,000 for a portable outdoor stage to support the growing number of community festivals in the city.
Comer Gardens Institute extension – £40,000 to convert the building’s upper floor into a space for dance tuition and rehearsal, and to boost community use of the whole venue.
Outdoor performance
Music for everyone at Cripplegate and Gheluvelt Parks – £742,000 nvestment in two of the city’s premier parks, to refurbish the grade II listed Gheluvelt Park bandstand and build new performance and family social spaces at Cripplegate Park, with new accessible toilets in both locations.
Sustainable events at Pitchcroft – £900,000 investment at Worcester’s largest open space to create a sustainable events venue with improved access, better security, and standing facilities including power and water. The existing limit on the number of events that can be held at the site would not change.
