Developer contributions calculator for on-site public art provision

Overview

The artistic tradition of Brighton & Hove is an important part of its identity. The provision of public art can create and enhance local distinctiveness in the public realm and help develop a desirable sense of place as well as improving legibility. Working with artists offers an opportunity to design schemes which go beyond the purely functional and create places that reflect the life, identity and aspirations of a particular place or community. 

The Council is seeking to publish an online developer contributions calculator for the continued provision of on-site public art which may be sought from very large development schemes throughout the city. Publishing this methodology improves an existing process of public art delivery by providing a transparent way to calculate developer contributions. This allows developers to factor in with certainty the costs which may be sought for their on-site public art provision at very early stages in the planning process. 

The calculator will be included within the council’s Developer Contributions Technical Guidance.

The calculator is based on an evidenced review that has considered all  development sites within Brighton & Hove to secure public art developer contributions as part of their most recent planning approval granted between 2013 – June 2021. The sites within the review have been sorted to reflect their location within the CIL residential zones. 

The calculator uses

• the Gross Internal Area (GIA) of very large development schemes as an available measure to understand, and mitigate, the overall size and impact of that development upon its location.
• CIL residential zones so proposed contributions are anchored within a citywide framework which has been tested through the CIL examination.

 Both factors are publically available. These will then be used to work out a developer contribution level which may be sought in £ per square metre, based upon the rates evidenced by the review.

Threshold Contribution Level

To support the developer contributions calculator we are proposing a minimum threshold sum of £25,000 to trigger a request for the provision of on-site public art from major development schemes. This is to reflect both the costs of the processes involved in the creation of successful public art, and the material outcomes which are required through this provision.

Very Large Development Schemes

Based on the proposed development contributions calculator and threshold the minimum Gross Internal Area of development schemes to trigger a request for on-site public art provision are as follows: 

Zone 1 development -  £6 per sq m GIA (4,170 square metres and over)

Zone 2 development -  £4 per sq m GIA (6,250 square metres and over)

Zone 3 development -  £3 per sq m GIA  (8,340 square metres and over)

Background

For a number of years the on-site provision of public art has been sought on very large schemes in accordance with adopted City Plan Part One policies.

Policy CP7 'Infrastructure and Developer Contributions' seeks development to contribute towards necessary social, environmental and physical infrastructure including artistic components secured as public realm improvements.

Policy CP13 'Public Streets and Spaces' seeks to improve the quality and legibility of the city’s public realm and includes 'Incorporating an appropriate and integral public art element'

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What happens next

The results of this consultation will be taken into account when reviewing the addition of an on-site public art developer contributions calculator and associated minimum threshold level to the existing Developer Contributions Technical Guidance. The decision will be formally made by the relevant council committee in 2022.