Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1.RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

1.1.RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

2.1.Councillor Mark Ingleby declared a personal interest in item 3 as he was a member of the Musicians' Union.

2.1.Councillor Mark Ingleby declared a personal interest in item 3 as he was a member of the Musicians' Union.

RESOLVED: That

·         the report and recommendations be agreed subject to the inclusion of additional comments and the recommendation put forward at the meeting:

“The transformation of Lewisham Library offers the Council a golden opportunity to optimise the provision of affordable workspaces and promote the idea of flexible workspaces. The revamped space could cater to a diverse range of age groups, incorporating flexible workspaces for adults and informal study areas for young people. In light of this, the Task and Finish Group recommends that the Council consider the Group’s findings while planning the transformation of Lewisham Library, ensuring the expansion of workspaces to meet the community’s needs.”

The Task and Finish Group members discussed their draft final report. The following key points were noted:

3.1. It was discussed that the Task and Finish Group's final report should recognise and promote the flexibility component of workspaces as it was as important as affordability.

3.2. The revamping of Lewisham Library provided the Council with a great opportunity to increase its provision of affordable and flexible workspaces. This library was centrally located and had great transport links to other parts of the borough. This meant people from all over the borough could benefit from the facilities in this library.

In light of this, Councillor Aliya Sheikh proposed that an additional recommendation be added to the Group’s final report that focused on optimising the provision of affordable and flexible workspaces in Lewisham Library that could cater to a diverse range of age groups, incorporating flexible workspaces for adults and informal study areas for young people. This recommendation would ask the Council to consider the Group’s findings while planning the transformation of Lewisham Library, ensuring the expansion of workspaces to meet the community’s needs.

3.3. It was hoped that this recommendation around Lewisham Library was something that could be implemented quickly and therefore have an immediate positive impact on the provision of flexible and affordable workspaces in the borough.

3.4. It was agreed that under the ‘Key Findings’ section of the draft report, another point would be added after point 4.54 to reflect that Councillor Aliya Sheikh had visited Lewisham Library on multiple occasions and had participated in various focus groups and user consultation sessions around the revamping of the library. A photograph of Councillor Aliya Sheikh at the Lewisham Library would also be included in the final report.

3.5. A member of the Group mentioned that spaces used by the local community for various purposes such as churches, libraries and community centres had great footfall and exploring the possibility of providing workspaces in underused areas of these community spaces could lead to the formation of ‘cultural hubs’. For example, Catford Mews was one such multi-purpose and flexible space that was a cinema and a social space that also provided residents with free wi-fi so that they could work from there.

3.6. The Group agreed that workspaces generated investment and attracted creatives and businesses, but it was important that all the residents of Lewisham felt that these spaces were for them as well. It was important that all workspaces were inclusive and accessible to all.

3.7. A member of the Group stated that it was a well written and clear report with a strong set of recommendations. It dovetailed nicely with the Council’s upcoming Affordable Workspace Strategy.

3.8. Provision of music venues and rehearsal spaces for musicians was also briefly discussed by the Group. Workspaces mentioned in the report cover a broad range of spaces which included spaces for music rehearsals. The Group was hopeful that the implementation of its recommendations would help increase the provision of music rehearsal spaces as well.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.