Revisiting London's Cultural Production Spaces

28 July 2025

London’s cultural infrastructure is the foundation for the capital’s cultural and creative output. We Made That, in collaboration with PRD, has been commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to update London's Cultural Infrastructure Map and conduct a health check of cultural production spaces. This research project will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the sector's specific needs and inform targeted policy interventions. The intent is to provide a robust evidence base for supporting London’s diverse cultural ecosystem, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

The London Plan 2021 was the most pro-culture London Plan to date and its culture related policies were informed by the evidence generated through the development and implementation of the Cultural Infrastructure Plan, including London’s first ever Cultural Infrastructure Map.

As a review of the London Plan now commences, the Greater London Authority (GLA) is building an evidence base to inform future planning policies. This includes updating London’s Cultural Infrastructure Map, and conducting a more in-depth health check of London’s cultural production spaces – the workshops, studios, and rehearsal rooms that are essential to the city's creative output.

London’s Cultural Infrastructure Map has already proven to be a valuable tool for understanding and responding to the evolving needs of the cultural and creative sectors. We Made That has worked closely with the GLA and the Mayor of London for over a decade, consistently exploring the vital role of culture in shaping London's fabric. Our team has mapped London’s cultural infrastructure multiple times (2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023), and this latest update will allow us to identify key shifts, gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of production spaces, and ultimately, inform strategies and actions that support London’s cultural infrastructure.

Working alongside PRD, our aim is to develop an up-to-date understanding of the distribution, characteristics, and challenges facing these vital spaces. The findings will be used to:

Update the Cultural Infrastructure Map and the High Streets Data Service portal, ensuring ongoing accessibility to comprehensive data
Support evidence-based funding decisions, helping the GLA allocate resources effectively
Inform support for at-risk cultural infrastructure, providing valuable data for the Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme, allowing for more targeted interventions
Contribute to the development of new policies aimed at fostering a more sustainable and resilient cultural sector

“While often unseen, London’s cultural production spaces are the engine of so much of what we love about this city; the creativity, the vibrancy and the innovation. This research, informed by the insights and experiences of those in the sectors, will build a vital evidence base for creating a more sustainable and vibrant cultural ecosystem for many years to come.”

Eve Avdoulos, Senior Associate, We Made That

We invite you to participate

To ensure the research accurately reflects the current reality of the sector, we are inviting participation from stakeholders across London. Over the coming months, we will be circulating an online survey, conducting interviews with providers and users of these production spaces, and exploring case studies of select spaces to highlight current trends and activities.

Survey: Spaces for cultural production

One of the first ways to be involved is through participating in an online survey.

This survey is for individuals and organisations who use or provide spaces for cultural production — such as creative studios, rehearsal rooms, recording spaces, film/TV studios, and industrial units used by creative businesses.

You’ll be asked about your work, the spaces you use or manage, and how things have changed over the past three years. This will help us understand the current state of the sector and identify areas of strength and opportunity.

As a thank you for your participation, this survey offers a chance to be selected for one of six complimentary project surgery sessions. These sessions are designed to provide expert guidance and support to cultural infrastructure operators who are seeking to initiate or advance capital projects.

Please fill this survey in by Friday 29th August, 2025.

Keep up to date

Project updates will regularly be published on this page, so watch this space.

For more information about the project, or if you’d like to be involved, please contact Eve Avdoulos, eve@wemadethat.co.uk

Image credits: Factory Settings, Agenda Brown (Commissioned by Made by Tottenham) and Philipp Ebeling.