Arts, culture and evening and night time economy

 What you’ve told us...  

• Dalston has a rich, strong and diverse community brought together through ongoing activity, with events such as the Dalston Children’s Festival and Hackney carnival as well as day-to-day interactions on the streets and on Ridley Road Market. 
• Dalston’s town centre has become a popular area offering cafes, pubs, shops, cultural assets and civic spaces which are well-loved by the community and visitors alike, with users often visiting more than one place or venue at a time. 
• Some residents feel pride and a sense of community from cultural premises that operate at night in Dalston, with the Night Time Economy (NTE) a large part of the cultural and commercial offer.
• There is a fear that Dalston’s vibrant day, evening and NTE community is under threat due to rent increases, new residential development and new transient residents that do not invest in the community. 
• Dalston’s day, evening and NTE offer is made up of a fragile ecosystem of independent, community and culturally led venues that rely on one another and are all effected by venue closures.
• Though there are a variety of spaces that serve the wider community, there are not enough spaces that welcome young people in the day, evening or nighttime, who often feel excluded. 
• There is a need for safe regulated spaces that are open after midnight.
• Some residents fear that further growth of NTE economy will disturb local residents.

What else we know….

• Dalston is recognised internationally for its vibrant arts, diverse cultural and NTE offer, which is unique due to the wide range of independent and cultural venues. 
• The Dalston NTE accounts for around a third of employment in the area.
• Hackney’s arts, cultural and NTE offer is an essential part of Hackney’s brand and over 11% of night-time visitors to London go to Dalston, Hoxton and Shoreditch at the weekend.
• Dalston’s arts, culture and NTE should be supported to drive the growth in experiential and family friendly activities to respond to changing town centre trends.
• Cultural and ENT venues create space for people to meet and make friends; to inspire and think creatively; to bring sometimes marginalised communities together and make the overall community stronger.
• Under the Council’s licensing policy, Dalston is a Special Policy Area (SPA) where applications for drinking establishments must demonstrate that they will not add to any added negative impacts of nuisance and / or disorder in the area.

 What the LP33 says… 

• The value of the Dalston as a concentrated area of community, creative and cultural activities should be enhanced
• Evening and NTE uses contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of town centres like Dalston, and contribute positively to the visitor experience and local economy.
• ​New major development of arts, culture, entertainment facilities and NTE must be primarily located in designated town centres in the borough, including Dalston. 
• The Agent of Change principle will be supported, which removes the responsibility for mitigating noise impacts from existing noise-generating activities or uses and places them on proposed new noise sensitive developments, as set out in the new London Plan Policy D12.  
• The Council promotes the establishment of a more diverse NTE offer that will appeal to a wider range of the community, including non-alcohol-based activities such as restaurants, cultural activities and late night coffee bars.
• Proposals for evening and NTE uses will only be permitted if there are no negative impacts to existing residents and businesses, and the expansion of NTE  in Dalston is to be managed and limited.