Crawley Borough Council CC Report to Overview & Scrutiny 10Th February 2014
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Crawley Borough Council CC Report to Overview & Scrutiny th 10 February 2014 Public Art CTY/101 Report of the Head of Community Services 1. Purpose 1.1 This report sets out the Council’s approach to the commissioning, installation and management of public art and makes recommendations for the future delivery of this work programme. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Overview and Scrutiny Commission are requested to consider the report and decide what comments, if any, it wishes to make. 3. Reasons for the Recommendations 3.1 To inform the Overview and Scrutiny Commission about the Council’s approach to public art and to invite comment as appropriate. 4. Background 4.1 Public Art in Crawley There are 30 public art works in Crawley. A full list of these is contained in appendix 1 to this report. The schemes have come about in a variety of ways including; • New Developments – four works were commissioned for K2 Crawley • Enhancing the Environment - “Art on the Greenway” saw six pieces installed to provide walkers on the Greenway with points of interest. • Regeneration Projects -“The Golden Tree” was installed as part of the High Street regeneration & improvement scheme • Community Initiatives – The Broadfield mosaic was created by residents as part of the “Making a Mark” community project; 4.2 The funding source allocated over a 15 year period for the programme to date was as follows; CBC Arts Development team £ 5,680 CBC Capital funding £192,990 CBC “Percent for Art” £ 8,900 Crawley Arts Council £ 4,500 Arts Council / lottery £133,940 Sponsorship £ 15,750 Future Considerations for Commissioning of Public Art . 4.3 The Draft Local Plan highlights the importance of Public Art being considered as part of new development within the town, C/1 “Public art can highlight what is special or locally distinctive about an area and create cultural assets that help in the creation of interesting streets and spaces. These can add to the enjoyment of an area or help people to navigate the locality. Attractive streets and spaces can encourage other forms of investment and patronage by customers ” 4.4 Reflecting this priority, the Draft Local Plan states that in respect of new development: “Contributions towards street scene improvements, public art and CCTV will be sought in accordance with council guidance” 4.5 Historically the commissioning of public art has been led by the Arts Development service with wider Council interest in the case of prominent & important sites. The Public Art Panel, consisting of Members, officer representation from Planning and Community Arts and wider community / stakeholder interests, has been an effective vehicle for agreeing selection of final proposals and it is recommended that this panel continues to be the vehicle through which public art works are designed and commissioned. 4.6 Given the relatively large numbers of public art works around the town and the current context of capital and revenue budget pressures, it is recommended that future public art works are delivered primarily through external funding and / or partnership projects. It is further recommended that the particular focus for the Council should be on developer contributions for major residential or commercial developments across the town with current examples including: • New Museum for Crawley • Town Centre North • North East Sector • Other larger residential schemes. 4.7 For such larger projects, an early indication of the potential for public art has been useful in ensuring time for community and stakeholder engagement, for fundraising, and in ensuring that individual works are designed from an early stage as part of the wider townscape. Reflecting this, with regard to potential larger public art projects, an early indication (ie at project initiation stage) will be sought as to whether public art would form part of final design proposals. 4.8 Alongside these major sites and reflecting a partnership approach, it is recommended that the Council support community led projects for public art schemes, particularly where these demonstrate good value for money and where there is evidence of local community engagement and support for the project. It is noted that for such schemes, the Public Art panel may want to retain an oversight role in respect of the commissioning process and that sustainable proposals for inspection and maintenance would need to be in place. 4.9 An annual revenue budget of £2.5k is currently provided for quarterly inspection, cleaning and maintenance. There is not however, a specific budget for more significant or specialist repair, and individual bids have had to be made to deal with specific specialist repair requirements. It is noted that the general inspection and cleaning budget is tight and were there to be any significant growth in the number of public art works would require a corresponding increase in this revenue budget. Public Art Policy C/2 4.10 Reflecting the considerations in paragraphs 4.3 – 4.9 (above), the following are recommended as aims for the Council’s involvement in Public Art. Although the Council is no longer required to formally adopt an Arts Strategy, these proposed aims build on those contained in the previous Strategy (2005). (i) Through partnership and collaboration, enrich the town by commissioning public art that reflects the special or locally distinctive character / features of the area. (ii) Support local communities in developing public art projects which ensure that public art contributes to the quality of life enjoyed by the local community (iii) Support community involvement and local stakeholder consultation as one element of the design and commissioning process, enabling residents to make a positive contribution to their local townscape. (iv) Maximise use of partnership and external resources to support the provision of new public art and ensure all proposals are supported by sustainable revenue funding proposal to meet inspection, cleaning and maintenance requirements. 5. Description of Issue to be resolved 5.1 To confirm the Council’s policy regarding public art and subsequent approach to commissioning works. 6. Information & Analysis Supporting Recommendation 6.1 There is strong evidence of community involvement and engagement in the public art projects to date. The High Street piece, for example, features key elements of Crawley's history that were important to residents and Langley Green parade improvements had elements designed by local people. Community projects such as the Graffiti Cube and Broadfield mosaic were developed with a high youth input and as a consequence are valued locally. 7. Implications 7.1 There are no immediate implications with regard to this report however it is noted that there is no capital funding currently allocated towards public art and it is assumed that the majority of funding for new public art schemes will be from partnership or external sources. Were there to be a growth in the number of public art pieces, the potential implication on the maintenance and inspection revenue budget is also noted. 8. Background Papers 2005 Crawley Borough Council Arts Strategy Report author and contact officer: Kate Wilson, Community Services Manager [email protected] 01293 43(8547) ENDS C/3 Appendix One Artwork Artist Cos t & Funding Location STONE CARVED Janine Creaye £ 4,500 Walled Garden, Tilgate CENTRAL Crawley Arts Council Park FEATURE MARTLETT’S Peter Parkinson & £ 8,900 Queens Square TREE Richard Quinnell Scottish Widows through CBC Percent for Art Scheme CERAMIC TILE Marion Brandis £ 17,890 Memorial Gardens PLANTER/SEAT Council’s Capital Public Art Fund SWAN LANDING David Norris Cost - £ 9,700 Bewbush Water Gardens CBC Public Art fund as part Phase I of “Art on the Greenway” project - Initial artists designs funded by Grand Aid from Arts Council England WOOD CARVED Nigel Hobbins £ 10,000 Target Hill DIPPING CBC Public Art Fund as Broadwood Rise PLATFORM/SEAT part of Phase I of “Art on the Broadfield Greenway Project” - Initial artists designs funded by Grant Aid from Arts Council England LION Christian Funnell £ 10,000 Crabbet Park CBC’s Public Art Fund as part of Phase I of “Art on the Greenway” Scheme - Initial Artist design fees funded via Grant Aid from Arts Council England C/4 THE FLYING Ray Smith £ 13,800 Hawth Roundabout, Hawth Avenue, SPIRAL Including installation costs funded from CBC Public Art Fund as part of “Art on Roundabout’s” Scheme CARVED Will Glanville £10,000 Broadfield Park WOODEN BENCH Including cost of schools’ Wshops - Funded ROUTE MARKERS by Arts Lottery Grant as part of Phase II of “Art on Greenway” Scheme). WILLOW Reece Ingram £ 5,250 Hawth Grounds Funded from Hawth Sponsorship Fund. BROADFIELD David Watson £ 12,690 Broadfield Stadium STADIUM Funded by Arts Lottery Grant, as part of Roundabout ROUNDABOUT Phase II of “Art on Greenway” Scheme. UNDERPASS MURALS WOOD CARVED Will Glanville £ 14,000 Grattons Park Wood BRIDGE Funded by Arts Lottery Grant as part of Grattons Park HANDRAILS Phase 11 of “Art on Greenway” Scheme METAL SYMBOLIC Gordon £22,000 Broadfield Stadium Roundabout FOOTBALL Young Arts Council England & CBC SCULPTURE Joss Smith £50,000 High Street, Crawley CBC funds (capital?) & tbc COMMUNITY Jim Pitts £1,250 Northgate Community Centre MURAL SCHEME CBC Community Arts budget COMMUNITY Angie Pantall £1,250 Tilgate Community Centre MURAL SCHEME CBC Community Arts budget C/5 COMMUNITY Bob Yates £450.00 Ifield West Community Centre MURAL SCHEME CBC Community Arts and Community Development. COMMUNITY Angie Pantall £1250