WORK is underway to determine how York can benefit commercially and culturally from its UNESCO status with an international festival programme spearheading the plans.

Make it York, the new company set up by City of York Council to promote the city, has commissioned a six month project to investigate how tangible benefits can be created from York's designation as the UK's first City of Media Arts.

Following a tender process, the project has been awarded to Pilot Theatre's artistic director Marcus Romer and Stuart Goulden, who runs creative consultancy Like No Other, with the pair already putting together proposals.

Having already worked together on the original bid to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), Mr Romer and Mr Goulden say they are looking forward to taking the project onto the next stage.

Mr Goulden said: "We are taking this from an ambition to delivering on objectives.

"We are asking ourselves how do we engage different types of people, and how do they play a part? How does it boost the creative economy, and how does it contribute to other elements of the economy?

"We're planning a few big projects that will bring these elements together, while also exploring the opportunity to create solutions to York's unique problems, such as being a city with low wages, and the need to develop certain sectors, such as the night time economy."

Early plans focus around the creation of an international festival from 2016, with the hopes of York then hosting the global UNESCO Creative Cities Network Meeting in 2020.

The project also includes a fundraising element, with the need to attract around £250,000 in order to make the programme self sufficient.

Mr Romer said: "While York has a media arts designation, there's other UNESCO designations, giving York the ability to access these other networks across the globe, and position York as a globally creative city.

"It's about York pushing forward. We are great at looking back in York, celebrating our heritage and our past, this is about moving that on and re-envisioning York for the 21st century.

"We are joining up the dots, making connections, and giving people the chance to make their own business connections.

"This is not about building modern art, this is about building a better city, and this project can allow York to be the best it can be. We are creating an opportunity for the world to see York in a new light."

The duo's project will culminate in an announcement, revealing the plan of action for the next stage of York's UNESCO win, due to be announced on December 1, to coincide with the first anniversary of the City of Media Arts designation.