Land and Buildings

Development Investment in Arts Buildings and Land Use

"Boosting arts and cultural activities in Hinckley and Bosworth, especially through the re-use of buildings"

The project has researched the potential for the 'Percent-For-Art' mechanisms, in which developers contribute 1% of their projected costs for the development of cultural activities, e.g. to buy a piece of art. The emphasis in Hinckley will be on the re-use of redundant buildings.

Organisation: Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

Completion Date: 31/03/2004

Location

Hinckley and Bosworth, West Leicestershire

Project Description

The project will enhance the cultural activity of the town, which has strong aspirations of developing its cultural and creative industries. The town has a long history as an artisan's town and the borough council is keen to enable this identity to flourish into the 21st century - Jan Overfield, Strategic Arts Officer, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council

What is 'Percent-for-Art?
The Percent-for-Art Policy Guidelines are a process by which the borough council can draw down funding for arts and cultural activity from new building developments throughout the borough. The policy will ensure the sustainable development of culture in the borough as it ensures building capacity within existing budgets.

Other coucils in the UK, such as South Gloucestershire, operate a scheme which encourages developers to allocate up to 1% of the total building costs for the commissioning of public art as an integral part of the development.

Using existing funds
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is considering bringing in a similar scheme but in the meantime the guidelines will help a development control officer create a working model for obtaining funding for cultural and creative activity from existing agreements and developer contributions.

Developing cultural activities
This stream of funding is intended to support a diverse programme of cultural events, public arts and community arts activity. The document produced by this study gives examples of best practice from other comparable local authorities and aims to show the process of securing funding for cultural activity on multiple levels.

Specific plans
The policy sets out a field of potential projects that have been identified by the research process undertaken to develop the guidelines. The programme focus is "Active Streets", "Lost and Found Carnival" and " Building Hinckley:Hinckley Building". These three projects encourage community participation in culture, business and economic regeneration and specific building projects for cultural industries.

This threefold programme sets the precedent for public art as a cornerstone in establishing a richer and more vibrant town centre environment. It acts to change both the perception and reality of the public realm, and it addresses issues of image and identity across the borough.

Outcomes

Planning and training

• 'Percent-for-Art Policy Guidelines to be embedded into the Local Development Framework.
• Internal training programmme for development control officers.
• Dissemination and skill sharing throughout Leicestershire through the arts development officers' group, as well as Leicestershire County Council's arts officer.

Cultural activities

• Increased spending and contributions for cultural and creative industry developments.
• Increased and sustainable cultural activity programmes.

Arts awareness

• Arts-led audit of buildings and sites within the town centre for cultural and creative industry activity.
• Increased awareness of the potential for developer contributions in sustaining high-quality, arts-led cultural and creative industry programmes.

Project Contacts

Project manager:
Jan Overfield
Tel: 01455 238141
E-mail: jan.overfield@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk
Website: www.hinckleyandbosworthonline.org.uk

LSEP contact:
Andy Rose
Tel: 0116 257 5677
Email: andyr@lsep.co.uk
Website: www.lsep.co.uk