Jynnji - The Project
Why here?
Space in Cornwall is at a premium, and within our local area more and more creative people, and organisations, are being pushed out in favour of large commercial developments. The vast majority aren’t able to afford or able to access any spaces that allow them to work or create.
Over the past couple of years this problem has become a major hurdle for these organisations and these people trying to utilise spaces in this part of the region. They are being squeezed out of these spaces, despite years of good tenancy; despite payment of full rentals throughout the pandemic; despite being unable to legally operate under emergency legislation. They are now finding it impossible to find affordable premises to operate from, with any degree of trust that their rentals will be secure in the long term. All of this is now creating a lack of access along with an unfair playing field for such folk, it is undermining their continued existence and their viability.
It was vital to that some action was taken, vital to find a place to act as this protective hub for so many of our already valued services, and provisions. For our well used, well respected, socially and environmentally conscious enterprises, artists, artisans, health and well being practitioners. For the creative and the community connected being pushed out of their spaces. The people and groups that bond our communities together, that form the fabric of our local culture, our local support networks, and our local economy.
In the face of a commercial property boom in this region it is proving impossible for these folk to continue to afford higher and higher rentals. Impossible to succeed in acquiring suitable premises to work and create from, to ensure they can stay viable! This constant upheaval impacts negatively on their sustainability, the community and the local economy.
Equally short term use of spaces for short term projects, offers no viability, security, stability, or sustainability for the aforementioned people and groups.
It’s the people that make a place, so the Jynnji Project seeks to ensure that the people, organisations and businesses already living and working here. Particularly those surviving and helping others through the storm of the last 2 years.
The Jynnji Project seeks to ensure that they can continue here, and that they can continue to bring their proven benefits here, without having to ‘make do’ and then move out.
Why now?
At the Jynnji Project we know that these are urgent and important issues that need addressing. We feel it is wrong that such folk with their excellent standing in the local community, with their existing, post pandemic ongoing value and viability, with all of the positive benefits to local people, local culture, and the local economy that they bring, are under the threat of extinction in the short to mid term.
As we come to terms with living in the aftermath of a global pandemic, post Covid 19. It’s investing in local people, local culture and local organisations that will best support the recovery and renewal of our communities, our spaces, our economy and our society.
We cannot ‘build back better, greener and fairer’, or fulfill the targets set out in National policy and Global Goals in relation to people, planet and place, climate and sustainability without doing so.
ADDRESSING RECOVERY AND RENEWAL - LIVING WITH AND AFTER COVID 19
Pre pandemic services and provisions were already difficult to access for the rurally isolated in need. They were already at capacity in relation to available resources, to available budgets and funding.
Pre pandemic Cornwall was at the forefront of building successful micro businesses and community based and community connected organisations, able to thrive in post industrial, socially and environmentally conscious contexts. These aspects of the region were under much study, particularly in terms of socially conscious and not for profit enterprise and infrastructure (VCSE's).
Despite being at the forefront of new and creative ways of working, and of environmentally conscious, more sustainable working practices. These small and medium sized organisations and individual enterprises (MSME's) were not greatly invested in by national investors and business specialists, as much as they were scrutinised in order to be understood.
Post pandemic we see very different cultural, creative, commercial, economic and community landscapes, that we are all having to learn to navigate and live with together.
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HOW IS THE JYNNJI PROJECT DIFFERENT?
Pre Covid the National Average in relation to feedback data around community distrust of new development in their area was 74%.
The National Average in relation to feedback data around distrust towards new development from Local Authorities was 72%.
Distrust in the expected level of impact on the local community and on Local Authority and Corporate Investment budgets in construction. Also in relation to achieving promised delivery of benefits targets to the local people and area on completion.
Every member of the Jynnji Project team is an ordinary member of their local Cornish community, living and actively working in some capacity whether professionally or on a voluntary basis, for and with those communities:
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to promote and enrich local culture
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towards creating learning and working opportunities
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helping with hardship
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strengthening family and community ties
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promoting health and well being
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nurturing and preserving the Arts
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working cross collaboratively with other organisations to deliver community benefit
The Jynnji Project was created in order to provide a pro-active approach to supporting the region to recover and renew post Covid 19 by:
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key local community focused individuals and organisations
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charitable organisations
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socially and environmentally conscious organisations
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cultural organisations
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groups and individuals from the voluntary sector
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groups and individuals from the private sector
The Jynnji Project Team formed out of discussions between key people and members of these groups, as the prevailing negative impacts on their spaces, provisions and livelihoods became increasingly more apparent. Ultimately the Team sprung from these discussions naturally, organically, collaboratively, in typically Cornish fashion. We realised that an effective response to the critical circumstances that Covid 19 restrictions and their ongoing impacts have had, and are still having on all of us, must involve us standing and working together.
As a result our project team is equally as unique and indigenous as the areas, the cultures and the communities it’s members seek to work with, work for and to benefit.
The Goal
OUR VISION
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The vision we have is to create an inclusive creative community that supports its inhabitants by providing a number of shared and individual creative; performance; exhibition; communal; work and activity spaces, with publicly accessible areas both indoors and outdoors. Creating also a visitors’ trail for those wanting to immerse themselves in the cultural heritage of the site and the creative culture of the community that will inhabit it.
The Jynnji Project will facilitate a creative revolution, and a solid future for the existing cottage industries and organisations that have historically formed the fabric of Cornwalls’ MSME’s and VCSE's whether commercial, charitable or voluntary.
‘BUILDING BACK BETTER, GREENER, FAIRER’
The Jynnji Project will be a ‘flagship’ development for the creative industries, that Cornwall can be proud of and hold up as a real example of how to ‘build back better, greener and fairer’. Planned, constructed and delivered to maximise the most social value, to ensure the local creative community of Cornwall has access to the best resources and provisions to create thriving long term, sustainable, social and economic health for the region and it’s people.
Building back better, greener and fairer for the people of Cornwall will see our project working:
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to create and deliver harmonious, high quality, low impact design
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to deliver long term sustainable place making
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to deliver spaces that work with and for the people and for the organisations and groups that give back, that empower, enrich and that support those people
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to make use of a neglected area in need of rejuvenation not gentrification
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to build in social value at every stage of the development, from planning through to occupation
Our plan incorporates:
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innovative passivhaus design
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low impact and site sympathetic infrastructure
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empowerment and involvement of the local community
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a unique approach to Art, to Life and to Work
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unique approach to flexible collaboration between public, private and voluntary sectors
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objectives to obtain the most social value out of every stage of development process from planning to occupation
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future proofing culture, community and economy
