The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today announced the capital’s first Creative Enterprise Zones as part of a groundbreaking initiative to support artists and creative businesses, and develop skills and jobs for Londoners.
 
The Mayor unveiled at Tripod, a new workspace for creative, tech and social businesses in Lambeth Town Hall, that Lambeth, Croydon, Hounslow, Lewisham, Haringey, Hackney Wick (a joint bid by Tower Hamlets, Hackney and London Legacy Development Corporation) will be awarded a share of more than £11m to boost creative communities. 
 
This new initiative, one of Sadiq’s key manifesto priorities, will protect the creative sector in the capital, increase affordable spaces for artists and entrepreneurs, and boost job and training opportunities for local people. Across London, creative communities have demonstrated their important role in revitalising areas, but over time, they can find themselves priced out of the neighbourhoods they have helped regenerate. 
 
A total of 25 boroughs applied for the funding, showing the appetite for this brand-new idea, with the six winning zones chosen due to their commitment to creating local jobs and increasing affordable workspace. The funding towards the new Creative Enterprise Zones includes more than £4m from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund. Working with the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund is designed to support sustainable and inclusive growth, and community development across the city. Each of the Creative Enterprise Zones have outlined how they will collectively leverage more than £30 million of investment in order to deliver their ambitious plans.
 
The creative sector is growing faster than any other sector in the UK economy and provides one in six jobs in London. During a time of uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the Creative Enterprise Zones will provide investment and support for creative businesses in the capital, ensuring that London remains one of the most entrepreneurial and innovative business centres in the world. The six Creative Enterprise Zones will generate tens of millions of pounds of growth, create more than 3,500 new jobs and support more than 1,000 local people into education, training and job opportunities. The zones will also deliver more than 40,000 square meters of new affordable workspace for creative businesses and entrepreneurs, with the long-term creation of additional affordable space embedded into their planning process.
 
Each Creative Enterprise Zone will take on its own distinctive character and focus, from film and TV to start-up business support. For instance, Lambeth places emphasis on affordable space for the next generation of creative talent, Croydon focuses on initiatives designed to encourage creative businesses to the area, while Hackney Wick will protect and grow one of the most recognisable artistic hubs in the world. Hounslow will leverage its role as London’s centre for TV and film, Lewisham is making the most of its current student and artist population to drive further growth, and Haringey will focus on supporting fashion and furniture manufacturing. The ambitious plans for the new zones include: 
 
Brixton – Borough of Lambeth
 • Opening one of London’s largest affordable workspaces with International House in Brixton and developing unused spaces in Brixton Rec into creative workspace
 • The Next Generation initiative will support 500 young people living the CEZ by raising the visibility of cultural and creative careers and education pathways 
 • Local young people from disadvantaged backgrounds will be involved in steering the CEZ programme and supported to develop new skills through a Young Creatives Board
 • Embedding affordable workspace into the borough’s planning process
 
Croydon Creatives – Borough of Croydon 
 • Developing Croydon as a music city – a place that encourages and nurtures emerging talent and breaks down barriers to success in the music industry
 • Launching an ambitious new cultural internship programme offering young people paid work placements with leading national and local arts organisations 
 • Creating a subsidy scheme for under 25s looking for studio space, which will cover up to 40 per cent of the cost  
 • Encouraging businesses to move to Croydon through the introduction of business rate relief for creative start-ups and those relocating to Croydon  
 • Collating an online list of available properties for creative businesses, and launching a start-up incubator programme providing tailored business support 
 
Hackney Wick and Fish Island – Boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets 
 • Protecting one of the most significant and recognisable creative quarters in the world by ensuring that planning powers help develop a pipeline of affordable workspace in the area 
 • Working with the borough employment services to help local people develop skills and provide training opportunities and internships in the cultural, creative, digital and tech sectors 
 • We will be developing a Good Growth service for CEZ employers which will offer easy access to apprenticeships, internships and tailored business support as part of a commitment to inclusive growth 
 • Strengthening connections with plans for East Bank on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to create a powerhouse of culture, education, innovation and growth 
 
Great West Creatives – Borough of Hounslow
 • Strengthening networks, engaging multi-national local businesses such as Sky, Disney, Paramount, to work closer with local creative and digital companies to boost opportunities
 • Delivering specialist skills training and freelance and SME business support to ensure local residents, especially young people, and students from University of West London, have a clear route and access to opportunities in the creative sector
 • Building on London’s hub for TV and Film production by unlocking new affordable production and studio space 
 • Delivering affordable creative makerspaces and a marketplace as part of an ambitious restoration of Boston Manor House and Park in Hounslow, supported through the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund (NB borough to be informed) 
 
Shapes Lewisham – Borough of Lewisham (New Cross & Deptford)
 • Retaining creative talent from the borough’s education institutions, Goldsmiths and Trinity Laban, and in the local community through access and tailored support for employment and enterprise
 • Increase affordable spaces for the fast-growing creative and digital cluster via Goldsmiths’ Enterprise & Innovation Hub, and opening 80 new artists’ studios by Second Floor Studios/Anthology 
 • Embedding development policies within the local plan and business rates, and identifying council’s assets that can help the sector to thrive
 
The Tottenham Pathfinder – Borough of Haringey  
 • Celebrating and showcasing Tottenham’s creator and maker heritage
 • Securing and expanding the availability of creative workspace through innovative build typologies
 • Investing in skills and training to support more local people into the creative sector such as fashion and small-scale manufacturing
 • Transforming Council owned assets into creative workspaces for local artists with £2 million from the Good Growth Fund (NB borough to be informed)
  
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Culture and creativity are vital to the success of our city, making the capital a place where people want to live, do business in and visit. But it can be difficult for artists and creative businesses to stay in an area as it develops, and that’s why it’s so important we give the industry the support it needs.
 
“I’ve been clear that London is open for business and talent and Creative Enterprise Zones will help the capital remain a creative and forward-looking city for the future. These new zones – which were a key manifesto commitment – will create much-needed affordable workspace, turning these areas into creative hubs and providing job and training opportunities that will ensure that the local community benefits from growth. They will ensure that artists and entrepreneurs, regardless of background, will be given the support they need and become our creative leaders of the future.”
 
Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons, said: “London is overflowing with talent and imagination, with the creative influence of our artists felt in every corner of the city. But our creative workforce is under threat as the rapid pace of development often pushes them out of the neighbourhoods they have helped to revitalise. 
 
“Creative Enterprise Zones are a bold new idea that will disrupt this cycle to deliver good, socially inclusive growth – with permanent, affordable production and workspace for artists and entrepreneurs, new jobs, skills and training for the local community.”
 
Lyn Garner, CEO, LLDC, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, and Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said: "Hackney Wick and Fish Island have been shaped by the communities of artists and creatives that have made these areas home, and it's vital that we protect this heritage, as together we build a sustainable future. 
 
"This funding will allow us to do just that - ensuring that artists and other creative businesses are able to stay in genuinely affordable workspace alongside creating real opportunities for local people and supporting new creatives moving in, while giving them all a greater say in how the area is run."
 
Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, said: “This funding is great news for Lewisham. Thank you to everyone for working so hard on our behalf and to Sadiq Khan and the GLA for supporting us.
We’re proud of our creative history and this money will help us support creative jobs and businesses in Deptford and New Cross.”
 
Councillor Charles Adje, Cabinet Member for Strategic Regeneration, London Borough of Haringey, said: “Working with the Mayor of London as the Pathfinder for the CEZ initiative since 2007, Haringey have set out an ambitious plan to retain and grow Tottenham’s local creative community, securing and expanding creative workspace and showcasing our small-scale manufacturing. This designation will provide significant opportunities to truly strengthen Tottenham’s economic base and provide local residents with new training, skills development and job opportunities.”
 
Councillor Oliver Lewis, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport at London Borough of Croydon said: “Croydon is gaining a reputation that embraces creativity, invests in the arts and most importantly, breaks down barriers for emerging talent. We’re delighted to be among London’s first CEZs and look forward to developing our music city plans and other ambitious initiatives.” 
 
Councillor Lib Peck, Leader of Lambeth Council said: “We’re delighted that the Mayor of London has seen the potential here in Lambeth, and supported us with the CEZ designation. We will invest this money to benefit the people of Brixton, Lambeth and London as a whole.
 
“Lambeth is an incredibly diverse, vibrant and creative part of central London.  We are committed to promoting inclusive growth, creating and sustaining opportunities for local people to benefit from jobs, investment and growth in Lambeth.
 
“That’s why we recently launched a growth strategy for Creative and Digital Industries in Lambeth. Central to this is our pioneering approach to supporting local businesses with council-owned affordable workspace, including London’s largest affordable workspace in Brixton. The CEZ designation will allow us to extend this work and widen the benefits for the people of Lambeth.” 
 
Councillor Sue Sampson, Hounslow Council Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “It’s an exciting time ahead for Hounslow’s artists and small businesses who will have the opportunity to flourish thanks to this initiative. As one of just six boroughs to receive this funding, we very much look forward to seeing the creative sector shine in Hounslow, providing more jobs for our talented young people, opportunities for new businesses and room for growth and innovation.”