A plan has been launched to encourage more people to take part in cultural activities and tap into London’s £52 billion creative economy.

Councillors approved a five-year strategy designed to improve access to culture in Enfield at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

With one in six Londoners employed in the creative industries, the council hopes to bring more of those economic opportunities to the borough.

Enfield has historically had a very low level of active cultural participation and has limited cultural infrastructure compared to similar local authorities, according to a council report.

Designed to turn that around, the strategy has three priorities: sustainable culture, creating opportunities for young people and culture every day.

It identifies the council’s £6 billion Meridian Water regeneration scheme as a potential hub for film, television and associated industries.

The council hopes to attract more businesses such as OMA film studies – claimed to be the largest in London by the company behind the project – to the borough.

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Its strategy states that Enfield is well placed to cultivate sectors not currently well established in north-east London, such as the film, TV, gaming and virtual reality industries.

The strategy also proposes a “youth culture catapult programme” to increase and improve creative opportunities for young people in and outside of formal education.

Enfield Council aims to collaborate with cultural and creative organisations to come up with ideas and action plans.

Deputy leader Cllr Ian Barnes told the meeting: “This strategy is for the council to convene and catalyse for the whole borough to work in collaboration with the council, from grass roots community organisations to large-scale commercial players.

“Our ambition is to impact in three key areas: economy, ensuring Enfield benefits from the creative industries, which contribute £52 billion to London; youth opportunity, ensuring our young people and skilled up and connected to creative employment, which provides one in six London jobs; and inequality – connecting our richly diverse communities to shared cultural experiences and shared heritage.”

The cultural strategy can be viewed here: https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/s84477/finalEnfieldCS_Draft_L.pdf