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Today we were delighted to attend the official launch of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall’s new capital project. In the autumn of 2018, following our initial feasibility study for the project, BOP was privileged to continue our work with the Symphony Hall through a full business case for a new iconic frontage to the building.
This HM Treasury Green Book compliant report robustly quantified costs and benefits to the local economy, which was crucial in unlocking up to £6m of funding from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) – a significant investment in culture from a LEP.
The project will create opportunities for artists to perform in the foyers, alongside a daily programme of free and affordable performances. There will also be flexible spaces that can host workshops, pre-show talks and corporate guests, as well as additional access options for artists with limited mobility, sensory and cognitive disabilities.
This project will give more residents and visitors a world class cultural experience and extend Birmingham’s reputation as a cultural city.
Katie Trout, Director at GBSLEP, said:
“GBSLEP is delighted to be investing up to £6 million of funding from the local growth fund in this exciting project, which will help to realise our ambitions to grow the creative sector, improve experiences and access to the arts for a more diverse group of artists, and visitors.“As an economy that is worth £4 billion gross value added (GVA) and accounts for 50,000 jobs across the Greater Birmingham and Solihull area, the creative economy is a key part of our growth plans, and the West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy, enriching the lives of the people that live, work and visit the region.”
For more on BOP’s work on building robust business cases, see here.
Transforming Birmingham’s Symphony Hall
Our work helps unlock large LEP investment in culture
Aug 1, 2019
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Jonathan Todd
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Jonathan is an economist with over a decade’s experience in impact assessment and evaluation, and high-level policy experience, particularly within the cultural and creative sectors.
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