MVP agrees first Cultural Lease

After the purchase of The Snug we've agreed and completed our first Cultural Lease with a venue operator, a new ground-breaking document which we have been developing for the sector.

As well as including the usual property governance wording it also features sections on the operator’s cultural delivery to help ensure that the venue continues to serve its community and keep to our key Grassroots Music Venue aims and objectives.

The implementation of this Cultural Lease is ground-breaking in the sector and after developing it with the support of Locality and Co-Operatives UK. We have seen significant interest from other property developers and we hope it’s introduction will have a positive impact across the property industry.

“The milestone of becoming the first of many grassroots music venues to agree a cultural lease with Music Venue Properties cannot be overstated. The cultural lease not only cemented our status as a vital space within our community but also highlighted the message that the threat of losing our venues is still high, and more needs to be done by the rest of the music industry.

Being recognised as a cultural space has helped us obtain further funding support including a successful application to the Pipeline Investment Fund from MVT which allowed us to secure funds for a training course aimed at further honing our staff's skills and expertise, as well as acquiring much-needed microphones and stands for our backline drumkit.

The cultural lease and funding initiatives have been crucial for The Snug, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunities they have afforded us and we remain committed to upholding the legacy of live music in our community in Atherton”

• Rachael Flaszczak, Managing Director of The Snug.