APPENDIX 42
Memorandum submitted by Mr Richard Eggington,
Town Clerk, Stratford Town Council
ARTS REDEVELOPMENT—ROYAL SHAKESPEARE
COMPANY
Thank you for your letter of 23 January inviting
me to submit a memorandum ahead of the working lunch on 13 February
2002.
I am happy to oblige but my ability to help
is restricted by the limited nature of the Town Council's involvement
in these issues at this early stage. The Council has no statutory
powers in this area. On the planning issues it will be statutory
consultee when the time comes for applications to be formally
considered.
Consequently the Town Council has not given
formal consideration to the proposals for either the RSC development
or those affecting the surrounding area. There is therefore no
formal Council policy for me to articulate. Instead the best I
can do is to offer my own personal interpretation of the background
and the attitude the Council is likely to take when the appropriate
time comes. This is as follows:
(i) In my experience here the RSC has been
an excellent corporate citizen. It has sought to contribute to—and
indeed instigate—holistic debate about the current and future
prosperity of Stratford-upon-Avon. It has participated eagerly
in associated initiatives such as the Town Centre Partnership.
It joins in local ceremonial activities such as Shakespeare's
Birthday Weekend.
(ii) The RSC has on several occasions invited
Town Councillors and Officers to tour its present theatre and
meet and speak with senior management about the Company's proposals.
(iii) The Town Council has been represented
on the District Council's Public Realm Working Group and on the
recently created Waterfront Task Force group through which it
has had an opportunity to comment and contribute to the matters
being considered.
(iv) It is probably fair to draw a distinction
between the proposals for the redevelopment of the theatres and
the separate but parallel proposals for redevelopment of the surrounding
environment. While the Council will wish to give careful and thorough
consideration to the planning applications related to the Theatre
redevelopment, it will be aware that this is a redevelopment application
submitted in respect of premises by its owner. In the case of
the surrounding environment, however, the Council may feel that,
while that is clearly linked to the future proposals and viability
of the Royal Shakespeare Company, it also directly affects amenities
and facilities which are provided for the benefit of the residents
of Stratford-upon-Avon. The Council will, I am sure, as the only
democratically elected body of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon,
be extremely conscious that the views and aspirations of its residents
are fully taken into account in the deliberations of the principal
authorities and any other parties involved which go to determine
the eventual outcome. These comments are not intended to indicate
any necessary opposition from the Town Council to the proposals
regarding the future of the surrounding environment; but it is
an area over which great care must be taken to ensure that a balanced
view is reached.
(v) The Town Council is also represented
on the Community Management Group of "Stratford Town Design
Statement Pilot", a project supported by the Countryside
Agency and Stratford District Council. Membership of this group
is open to the community as a whole. Its members and include RSC
staff who have consulted through workshops and exhibitions over
a period since July 2000. A considerable amount of photographic
input including items relating to landscape setting, character
and riverside environs, is being collated for the completion of
a "Stratford Design Statement" which is now at an advanced
stage.
1 February 2002
|
