Feasibility Study

A feasibility study was commissioned by Writtle College in 2003 from Circling the Square (an environmental and public arts practice) to investigate the possibilities for the re-use of buildings originally associated with a commercial fruit farm on the College estate. The study received funding and support from Essex County Council Arts Development. The conclusions of the study have informed the steps being taken to realise a community of working artists and designers.

Feasibility Study Vision:

To create a community of working artists and designers based on the Writtle College Estate; offering a regional focus for arts and design initiatives within the urban and rural environment.

This arts and design community will allow recent graduates, recruited nationally, to establish their own businesses and find a way into creative professions. These individuals will act as a catalyst for the provision of a more vibrant academic environment. The development of such a community will be an addition to the cultural diversity of Essex. By providing opportunities for the arts to interact, through the improvement of the environment for the benefit of individuals, businesses and communities, Writtle College will be creating better places for people.

This will reposition the College in a creative context, whilst linking with key regional and international urban and rural agendas, thus supporting the strategic developments of creative industries, landscape management, tourism, economic development, sustainable communities and regeneration.

Feasibility Study Conclusions:

The future challenges for creating the new arts and design centre will only be feasible propositions with financial resources and commitment from Writtle College and its partners. The generation of the required funding from external sources will need time, personnel and skills. Individual issues that will need to be tackled include co-operation over the use of the proposed building, the management of the Centre and its users, and developing technical skills for the electronic gateway.

During the feasibility study many external organisations were consulted ranging from the Arts Council England East, local authorities and regeneration agencies, to existing and developing studios and arts initiatives. All saw this study as a positive, creative, innovative and proactive step for the College and the eastern region. Partnership arrangements are being forged to support strategic thinking across organisations and to develop joint funding bids.

The consultation process also provided supportive feedback from other higher education institutions, who can see the role and relevance, and from Essex County Council who invited the College to join a forum to consider artist and designer studio developments in Essex. Inside Writtle College there have been positive moves by the management in enabling the report, inclusion of recent graduate expertise and the development of administrative and technical support for the Centre. The need for the development of the new Centre is acknowledged by the College and supported, in principle, by external organisations who see a relevance for this new agenda.