EDINBURGH is set to become a place of co-ordinated year-round cultural activity, not just at festival time.

That’s the intention of a new cultural plan that was approved by the Culture and Sport Committee of Edinburgh Council yesterday.

The new Culture Plan has been developed over three years with input from a wide variety of sectors including businesses, funding bodies, festivals, performers, artists, producers and venues.

Last reviewed in 1999, the new cultural policy says Edinburgh has established an active and successful culture scene but requires “a shared agenda” and year-round set of objectives and actions in order to grow.

The new Culture Plan sets out six key objectives and ways of working with the cultural community and 23 actions in the first instance – including the creation of a one-stop shop of support and advice for the public and cultural community and a dedicated Culture Task Force.

Also among the recommendations approved by the committee is the development of a new website as part of what was called “an enabling strategy” for culture in the capital.

The council’s Arts Manager Lindsay Robertson said: “As a result of all the work that went on for the previous policy we now enjoy a mature and highly communicative cultural environment in Edinburgh.”

Donald Smith, chairman of the Desire Lines steering group which had a major input into the plan, told the committee: “We are very delighted that one of the outcomes from the Desire Line process is a major renewal of Edinburgh’s sense of creative and cultural planning for the future.

“We very much welcome that it is a partnership approach between the different interests that animate the cultural life of the city.

“We need them all signed up and aboard if we are going to make the kind of progress we need.”

Convener Councillor Richard Lewis said the plan would be a “living document” that would not sit on the shelf gathering dust.

He had earlier stated: “Edinburgh is a global destination for creativity, innovation and excellence in the arts. We haven’t built and maintained this reputation by chance. Our 1999 Cultural Policy has been very successful – and indeed led to the creation of Festivals Edinburgh – but the landscape has changed dramatically over the last 16 years.

“We are planning to refresh our ways of thinking and working with the creative sector. Our vision will still be to maintain and build on Edinburgh’s worldwide reputation for the arts and festivals, but we’ll also focus on home-grown talent and infrastructure and better collaboration.

“We want to work harder with our partners across the city and across Scotland to create an environment which attracts and retains artists and creative people. We need to identify new and collaborative ways of funding and resourcing the sector, and are already looking at the potential of an ‘open fund’ to support grass-roots talent.”