Planning and securing contributions for your arts

Arts Council England is the national development agency and a major funding source for the arts. We work to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.

Results from the Arts Debate in 2007 confirms the evidence that the arts bring people together, create links between different communities and encourage a sense of pride and belonging in their local area. There is also strong evidence to show that the arts can play a vital part in social and economic regeneration through learning, skills and personal development, through supporting community projects and strengthening local economies.

Arts Council England and the arts are a major player in wider non-cultural partnerships, either physically sited within mixed use buildings or part of initiatives encouraging the use of the arts to foster greater collaborative working in education, regeneration, health and social care.

To ensure that there will be the right, high-quality arts infrastructure in place across the country to allow people to experience great art of all kinds in the future we have undertaken research into the space and cost requirements for arts across different local authorities. Arts and Museums and New Development: A Standard Charge Approach sets out an approach for calculating and securing developer contributions towards new or enhanced facilities as part of Section 106 agreements, and the forthcoming Community Infrastructure Levy. The financial charge for the developers is based on a national benchmark charge for each person expected in a new housing development. Arts Council recognises that assessments of current provision and needs are essential to creating standard charges, which can act as a benchmark in negotiating planning contributions.

Further guidance includes:

• Building excellence in the arts – a guide for clients, CABE and ACE joint publication for anyone procuring and developing arts buildings.
• Creative workspace website, with extensive guidance on creative workspace.
• Public Art and the Planning System and Process in England, a step-by-step guide from ixia, produced to assist local planning authorities in preparing supplementary planning documents for public arts.
• The Theatres Trust, is The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres.  As a statutory consultee, local planning authorities refer all planning applications on theatres to the Trust for expert advice.  It also advises and provides information on policies for community, cultural and theatre facilities within infrastructure planning, developer contributions and planning obligations and the provision of theatres.
• Arts Spaces for Schools, published in partnership with Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, this document provides design guidance for Building Schools for the Future projects.
• The Win Win Scenario: Community Sport & Arts on Education sites, guidance developed in partnership with Sport England, highlights the key principles underpinning the successful planning, development and delivery of community sport and arts facilities on school and education sites.
• Space for Art, developed by the Clore Duffield Foundation is a handbook of ideas and advice about creating environments for learning and teaching in art and design.
• Arts Audiences: Insight website provides new insight into how and why different kinds of people engage with the arts in England.
• National Federation of Artists' Studio Providers provides a range of guidance and case studies to support the development of affordable studios.