AN AMBITIOUS programme of arts events and activities to brighten up the streets of Weymouth and boost the area's cultural appeal is on the drawing board.

Options for performances, street art and projections on buildings are to be discussed, as well as opportunities to fund community projects and develop a long-term strategy.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is in the process of drawing up a guide for various art project options and how much they will cost.

With dwindling budgets, the focus now is on looking to external sources for funding but the council is keen that the arts must be supported locally.

As well as backing the events by B-Side and Activate next year, the council wants to develop an arts programme and officers have been asked to come up with costed proposals for different options. There is only £10,000 in the budget for the arts so anything further will need to come out of council reserves and/or other sources.

Arts options are:

  • Supporting community projects with modest one-off grants to allow them to seek additional funding elsewhere, eg. ArtWey Open for Art event in June 2017, Rodwell Trail tunnel mural, and Chris Shaw's mobile version of his Three Works gallery (council grants up to total cost of £7,000-£10,000)
  • Street performances – enhancing town centre in partnership with the BID, working alongside a street market (total cost £10,500)
  • Full programme of street performances, an extension of the above to include street theatre, buskers, temporary works of art, all integrates into specific events (total cost £35,000)
  • Projections onto buildings, one-off large-scale event to project large-scale moving images onto seafront buildings, building on the Son et Lumiere show at the Nothe Fort (total cost £46,000)
  • Design a programme of public art – long-term public art programme to design options for new works of a permanent street art in town and on Esplanade (total cost £28,000)
  • Development of a longer-term arts strategy for the council, not favoured given implications of potential local government reorganisation (likely budget up to £20,000)

A report to next Tuesday's management committee by Leisure Commissioning Manager Tony Hurley says: "Members are invited to give consideration to the options and give ‘in principle’ support to enable officers to work with local arts agencies to fully develop the projects for subsequent approval and the allocation of resources from reserves.

"Although option one might be partially implemented with the council’s existing arts budget, the other options will require the allocation of resources from council reserves."

* The mural idea for the Wyke Road tunnel is an idea being progressed by the Friends of the Rodwell Trail - particularly a member of the group, retired architect Paula Klaentschi.

She gave a presentation at the Friends' AGM recently, where ideas for a mural to brighten up the tunnel were explored.

The intention is to hold a design competition and invite interest from all members of the community. An exhibition is also planned. Young people will then be involved in bringing the mural to life, assisted by artist Peter Sheridan .

The group is seeking funding to progress its plans and more details will be released soon. Check the Friends' Facebook page for updates.