Council Launches Culture Survey with No Mention of Watermans
Consulting with residents on future of arts in the borough
Council wants to hear from residents on what sort of cultural activities they would like to see
October 25, 2024
Hounslow Council is asking residents to give their views of the borough’s cultural strategy in the borough.
The consultation comes at a time when there is still no clarity over the future of the Watermans Arts Centre and the venue is not mentioned in the short survey. https://talk.hounslow.gov.uk/culture
The councils says it wants to co-create a new Culture Strategy shaped by the full diversity of borough residents, local artists and creatives, culture and heritage organisations, and businesses.
The survey aims to get a wide range of views on the borough’s arts and culture events, activities and venues, and what can be done to improve what’s on offer.
Councillor Salman Shaheen, Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces, said, “We want to put Hounslow on the map, making it a destination borough that serves its communities and attracts visitors from far and wide. From world class events and acts to historic houses and museums and a thriving arts and culture scene shaped by the rich diversity of our communities, Hounslow is far more than a flight path.
“Now it's time to bring all of that together and forge a brighter future for Hounslow culture. There is so much more we can do to harness the skills, experience and creativity of our communities and providers, maximise the potential of venues, boost investment and ensure culture is accessible to all.
“This is an important moment for everyone to have their say to shape culture in Hounslow.”
A spokesperson for WCWorks, a local cultural organisation that grew out of the campaign to save the Watermans commented, “We are delighted that Hounslow Council appears to be listening to residents and engaging with the transformative potential of Arts and Culture. We sincerely hope that a new Culture Strategy can cement the Arts within Brentford and more broadly across the borough for generations to come.
“We also deem it important to measure the passing of time- it has been months since the untimely closure of the Watermans Arts Centre, which appears to have been left to ruin. Every day that passes without a Cultural hub in Brentford is a day that Brentford residents are poorer and, without a sustained audience, every day without an Arts Centre marks an added degree of challenge in launching a new one."
The Watermans Arts Centre has been closed to the public since 11 April after the Hounslow Arts Trust announced it could no longer afford to keep it running.
The Council will also be running a series of engagement workshops in locations across the borough, as well as evening sessions online.
For more information and to take part in the survey, click here.
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