New Arts and Heritage Centre is feasible!

The Peppercorn Centre’s five trustees commissioned a feasibility study which shows that their ideas for an arts and heritage centre on the south side of the High Street would be self-supporting from the revenue it would generate and will not require public subsidy.

Although the trustees have expertise in the arts, music and heritage sectors they would employ a team from those areas to run it on professional lines for the benefit of the community. The plan is to provide many facilities currently lacking in the town, including services that help children in dance and drama, as well as all those interested in the arts and history.

Surveys of both individuals and arts and drama and history groups in the town have shown both support for the idea and a general belief that such facilities are needed.

It was a point borne out by last month’s town centre report from the consultancy IntoPlaces Ltd, commissioned by the Leighton-Linslade Council, which praised the vitality of the town centre but said did not attract the 25-34 age bracket and there was “lack of community, creative arts and leisure facilities.” The Peppercorn Centre aims to correct that deficiency.

Central Bedfordshire Council owns the land on the south side of the High Street on which the trustees hope to build the Peppercorn Centre. For 30 years it has been subject to many consultations and reports without any plans being brought to fruition to make use of the land. The trustees are hoping to persuade councillors that the Peppercorn Centre would be a good use for part of the site providing services that a town of 40,000 people needs.

The plan is to bring new life and prosperity to the High Street by drawing in more people both during the day and in the evenings. Some representatives on both Leighton-Linslade and Central Beds Councils have already shown positive support for this idea.

The next step is to commission architects to draw up initial plans for the centre based on the ideas in the feasibility study produced by the consultancy, Counterculture. Facilities will include a café/bar, performance space, exhibition and display area, two rehearsal and studio spaces for hire and facilities to display, store and work on historical and archaeological collections. It is hoped also to have an outstation of the Bedfordshire Archives.

The trustees also hope to form a “Friends of the Peppercorn Centre” to help promote the idea. In time the Friends will be at the core of the project and be open to both individual and corporate membership. The idea once the centre is up and running is that membership of the “Friends” will bring benefits like discount on tickets and early booking options to the many activities the centre will promote.

It is hoped that Peppercorn café will provide a vibrant community hub open from 9am until late, a natural place to meet and organise and hold local events as well as to attend high quality professional performances. Many artists in the town, currently lacking facilities, have expressed an interest in making the centre their base and using it to premiere their performances before going on tour elsewhere.

The facilities provided are designed to be additional to the current Library Theatre in Lake Street with the two venues cooperating to provide different services.

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