EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Restructuring of production house for professional arts

Restructuring of production house for professional arts - Utrecht, the Netherlands

Introduction

Huis aan de Werf is the only production house for professional arts in the city of Utrecht. In this sense Huis aan de Werf is very significant for job opportunities for young theatre makers, painters, sculptors and producers of new music. Huis aan de Werf fulfills a meeting place function for cultural entrepreneurship in an old part of the city, just outside the centre of Utrecht. It also fulfills a clear need for cultural provision in the city and furthermore meets the needs of the (inter)national culture sector.

Description

The aim of the project is to strengthen the economic magnetism through a restructuring of the production house Huis aan de Werf. Considering the growth of activities at Huis aan de Werf, restructuring of the premises is essential. Improvement of the premises and of the business environment will have positive economic effects. It is expected that the number of activities will increase, that more space can be hired out and that there will be more space for permanent employees, freelancers and work experience students.

Approach

The project concerns an infrastructure project, namely the renovation of the existing premises. The volume of activity will increase as a result, more space can be rented out, the increase in the amount of office space will offer extra opportunities for permanent employees, and freelancers and the number of work experience places will also increase.

Results

The direct result will be a higher value business location. The number of visitors will increase. Adaptation of the foyer will result in a considerable increase in the catering turnover. Economic effects for the neighbourhood — the spending by Huis aan de Werf and its visitors — will increase by nearly € 7,000 after the rebuilding work. The project will provide opportunities for the development of the SME in the city and will offer an impetus to tourism. The project can also lead to greater involvement of the local community in their neighbourhood, which in turn will improve the social environment.

Resources used

European subsidy: € 317.646
Total cost: € 1.588.230

EU involvement

This project has been partially funded with Objective 2 funds. Since 2000 nine cities have been eligible for the Objective 2 Urban Areas in the Netherlands programme, which forms part of the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) of the European Union. EFRD is one of the four Structural Funds of the European Commission. The programme helps cities to carry out projects that benefit disadvantaged areas.

In the Netherlands, total European Objective 2 subsidies concern 192 million euros. 4.25% of the Dutch population lives in the selected areas.

The European Commission prescribes that for every euro from the EFRD, a minimum of one euro must be contributed from the government. The cities must therefore add their own public or private funding to the European subsidy. The European programme is linked to the urban plans agreed within the context of the urban policy of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For this, the cities can make use of funds that have been allocated to them in the context of the national urban policy.

Contact info

Utrecht Westflank - local programme management
Phone: +31 30 2861603

Project start date

01/09/2001

Links

City of Utrecht

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Specific sectors