toward a standard charge for culture in north northamptonshire · wycombe district council – are...

www.tfconsultancy.co.uk tom fleming / creative consultancy / 1

Toward a

Standard Charge for

Culture

in North Northamptonshire

February 2010

tom fleming / creative consultancy /


Contents

1. Introduction 4

2. Resourcing Cultural Infrastructure Development 5

2.1 Developer contributions 5

3. Standard Charge Guidance Calculations for North Northamptonshire 6

4. Cultural Provision – Benchmark Charges 9

4.1 Museums 9

4.2 Art spaces 11

4.3 Libraries 16

4.4 Archives 17

4.5 Community and village halls 20

4.6 Public art 22

Literature review 23

Appendix 1: Summary of Cultural Infrastructure Building Costs from

Spon’s Architects’ & Builders’ Price Book 2008 133rd Edition

24


1. Introduction Cultural infrastructure - arts and museum facilities, libraries, community centres, green and public spaces - are essential components of sustainable communities. Cultural spaces create opportunities for community interaction, helping build a sense of place. Cultural activities can inspire, raise aspiration, create learning opportunities and support skills and personal development as well as contributing to a healthy lifestyle and physical and mental well-being. As communities develop and grow it is vital that cultural infrastructure is provided alongside new housing and other infrastructure helping to ensure that the existing and new communities thrive and prosper and that places are created where people want to live, work and play. Local authorities have been charged by Government with implementing a systematic process of infrastructure planning and delivery to accompany their Local Development Frameworks (LDF). The Local Development Framework core strategies are seen as being central to ‘orchestrating the necessary social, physical and green infrastructure required to ensure that sustainable communities are created1’. To secure approval of their LDFs, local authorities need to have a delivery strategy to implement the policies of the plan that include ‘evidence’ of social and community needs (including cultural infrastructure). The Cultural Investment Plan and Mapping Overview report which accompany this paper, contribute to this evidence base.

1 Communities and Local Government [CLG] guidance in PPS 12 Local Spatial

Planning (2008)

This short paper presents guidance on a standard charge approach to cultural infrastructure. It provides a summary of the standard charge recommendations for arts facilities, museums, libraries and archives developed by Arts Council England (ACE) and Museums Libraries and Archives (MLA), as part of the Living Places initiative2. Examples for standard charges for community centres and village halls from two local authorities – Colchester Borough Council and Wycombe District Council – are also presented. The research and the examples presented in sections 4.1 to 4.5 form the basis for the proposed standard charges for cultural infrastructure in North Northamptonshire. These are written throughout section 4 and summarised in section 3. The standard charges proposed here for North Northamptonshire provide a baseline for negotiation with developers. A mix of funding will be required to cover the cost of new and extended cultural infrastructure with developer contributions providing a single source for some projects. The Programme of Development (PoD) summary table, produced by Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy (TFCC) in the suite of documents for the Northamptonshire Cultural Investment Plan, indicates the proportion of funding that might reasonably be sought from developers for specific projects.

2 Living Places– An alliance of public bodies working together to ensure that all communities,

particularly those experiencing housing-led growth and regeneration, can benefit from cultural and sporting opportunities as part of the development of sustainable communities. Living Places seeks to ensure that culture is embedded in the development of villages, towns and cities alongside other key areas of provision such as healthcare and transport. www.livingplaces.org.uk


2. Resourcing Cultural Infrastructure Development Developer contributions are just one of the sources available to fund capital and revenue requirements for cultural infrastructure development. Other capital resources available for cultural facilities include:

– Existing local authority capital programmes such as schools capital programmes;

– Specific Government funding, such as that for Growth Areas and Pathfinder Areas

– Lottery funding – Regional Development Agencies funding – Private funding such as charitable trusts and foundations,

individual and company giving or sponsorship – Contributions from developers; including one-off

negotiations through Section 106; and potentially in the future from proceeds from the Community Infrastructure Levy, approved in the 2008 Planning Act.

Revenue resources may include:

– Existing local authority and organisation revenue budgets – Time or activity limited grants for revenue activities from

trust, foundations and other funders including lottery (typically 3-5 years)

– Public funding through ACE, MLA and DCMS – Saved revenue budgets from transformed services and

improved efficiencies – Income from trading and commercial exploitation

– From developer contributions when linked to the first phase of delivery of new facility3.

2.1 Developer contributions Developer contributions currently take the form of Section 106 planning obligations, which relate to the ‘impact’ of specific site developments. The Section 106 planning guidance (given in DCLG Circular 5/05 Planning Obligations) encourages local authorities to use formulae and standard charge indicators where appropriate, ‘to help speed up negotiations, ensure predictability and make the process of negotiating contributions more transparent’4. However, the standard charges and formulae need to reflect the actual impacts of specific developments and the infrastructure needs associated with particular development proposals. Contributions cannot be sought to fund current deficits in provision. In the 2008 Planning Act proposals were introduced for a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). CIL charges relate to the development of an area more generally, rather than being limited to the impact of specific sites. This will give local authorities more flexibility and the power to introduce charges for sub-regional infrastructure developments rather than being limited to negotiating charges related to individual site developments. This will allow for charges to be implemented that could impact across local authority boundaries. Charges are likely to include standard charge formulae and proposals relating to £ per new dwelling or £ per bedroom for different types of infrastructure. Implementation of the CIL is

3 This list is based on the list on pages 5-6 of the ACE/MLA Standard charge Approach paper (2009). The issue of resourcing are further discussed in Planning Advisory Service advice on Infrastructure Planning and Delivery [PAS 2009] within ‘social and community infrastructure’. 4 ACE/MLA Standard charge Approach paper (2009) p. 6-7


scheduled for April 2010. However, with a General Election likely around this time the exact timetable is unclear. The Government has encouraged local authorities to use formulae and standard charges to help expedite Section 106 negotiations before the CIL is introduced. Developer contributions are limited to resourcing capital costs except where revenue funding is linked to the set up and first phase management costs of a new facility. Any revenue funding will be time limited to cover expenditure to ensure a new facility becomes established and viable.

3. Standard Charge Guidance Calculations for North Northamptonshire The standard charges summarised in table 1 (see page 8) provide a tool to be used as the basis for negotiations with developers across North Northamptonshire. These charge recommendations are based on research into benchmarks and proposals for standard charges for different types of cultural infrastructure. This includes recommendations by ACE and MLA in their early 2009 report on a Standard Charge Approach for Living Places, and a review and analysis of charges for community facilities such as community centres and halls developed by a range of different local authorities, including Corby. (Further details on key reports and charges reviewed are set out in more detail in Section 4.1 – 4.5 of this paper). As the ACE/MLA Standard Charge report points out, ‘contribution under a Section 106 planning agreement can only be sought where local authorities have assessed their arts and museum facilities needs in the context of current provision, the context of proposed growth (as expressed in the development plan), and with established scale of additional requirements’. Understanding of the current and potential catchments for facilities, which are likely to cross local authority administrative boundaries, is also key. The mapping work carried out by TFCC as part of the North Northamptonshire Cultural Investment Plan development, forms the basis for the assessment of need for cultural infrastructure within a context of the growth plans for the area. More detailed assessment of requirements for particular types of cultural infrastructure and the catchment for such infrastructure and the links to specific developments will be required under the current planning obligations system – S106. In future, the introduction of the CIL


may allow for the sub regional approach to standard charges presented in the charging recommendations introduced here. Currently there is a deficit in almost all types of built cultural infrastructure provision across North Northamptonshire. The exception is theatre and performance space with the Castle in Wellingborough, The Lighthouse in Kettering and the new Corby Cube all providing performance space. There are considerable deficits in gallery and exhibition spaces. Now the Fermyn Woods gallery space has closed, the Alfred East Gallery in Kettering is the only dedicated publicly funded gallery. Other exhibition spaces such as those at the Castle in Wellingborough are small in scale with a mainly local population catchment. There is only one cinema and many community spaces – community centres and village halls - are barely fit for purpose for the existing community, much less so for the projected expanding communities. Libraries, museum and archive provision is reported to be falling well below desired levels in many areas with much of the existing infrastructure requiring considerable redevelopment and improvement to meet the needs of the projected growth in population that the housing developments will bring. A number of new libraries are already planned with the Corby library new build already underway as part of the Cube development in the town centre. Replacement and extensions of libraries have also been identified in Burton Latimer, Desborough, Earls Barton, Finedon, Raunds, Rothwell, Rushden, Thrapston and Wellingborough. Whilst funding will be sought from a range of sources for new facilities and enhancement of existing facilities developer contributions will form part of the funding package. Making up for past deficiencies in arts provision cannot be funded through the standard charge process.

Table 1 sets out recommendations for standard charges to be used as a starting point for negotiations with developers for different types of cultural infrastructure requirements linked to the growth in population. The table presents standard charges against the infrastructure typologies used in the North Northamptonshire Mapping and Cultural Investment Plan documents.


Table 1: Cultural Infrastructure Standard Charge Recommendations for North Northamptonshire

Infrastructure type Space standard Fit out and construction cost Charge per person in new housing

Charge per dwelling based on 2.4 person occupancy5

Heritage: museums 30 sq m per 1,000 population Regional museum - £2,500 per sq m Local museum - £1,600 sq m

Regional museum - £75 per person

Local museum - £48 per

person

Regional museum - £180 per dwelling

Local museum - £115 per

dwelling

Arts venues: Total 45 sq m per 1,000

population. Allocation across the sub

region:

Type 1: Gallery 30 sq m Type 2: Multi-use venue 5 sq m

Type 3: Education/production 10 sq m

Type 1: £3,400 per sq m



Sub region space standard

allocation x sq fit out cost Type 1: £102

Type 2: £19

Type 3: £23

Total £144

Type 1: £245

Type 2: £46

Type 3: £55

Total: £346 per dwelling

Other creative spaces: creative workspaces

Further research required to develop space standard

Type 3 arts venue charge above could be used as the cost basis

Community facilities:

Libraries

Library:

30 sq m per 1,000 population

Library:

£2,807 per sq m

Library:

£84 per person

Library:

£202 per dwelling

Archives Archive:

7 sq m per 1,000 population

Archive:

£3,700 per sq m

Archive:

£26

Archive:

£62

Community assets: community centres

and halls

No space standard available for the Corby Stanion model used

£1,005 per dwelling linked to specific developments

Open space: public art/public realm

Consideration could be given to implementing a 1% for art

contribution on construction costs

As a minimum an £80 per person charge should be set

based on the Wellingborough developer charges

5 Figure of 2.4 people per dwelling taken from Corby Borough Council Infrastructure Schedule 7 September 2009


4. Cultural Provision – Benchmark Charges There are no hard and fast rules as to what charges should be applied to the development of different types of cultural infrastructure. Each region needs to assess their own needs based on current provision and the likely increases in need for facilities as a result of housing and resulting population growth. Making up for past deficiencies in arts provision cannot be funded through the standard charge process. As key partners in the Living Places programme, ACE and MLA have researched standard charge approaches being adopted by different authorities across the country and have developed recommended charging approaches. These are set out below in sections 3.1 – 3.4 - arts venues, museums, libraries and archives. A number of authorities have undertaken work on developing tariffs for community and village halls. Several of these use Sport England’s Village and Community Halls Design Guidance Notes6. Below we present a sample to frame the charge benchmarks developed in Section 3.5.

4.1 Museums Museums are central to creating a ‘sense of place’ and helping existing and new communities in an area understand and interpret the world around them. The role and function of museums has changed considerably over the last 20 years with greater emphasis placed on connecting with people of all ages enabling them to interact with collections through learning programmes, outreach

6 ISBN 86078 130 6 £10 Sport England SE/1038/5M/01/01 www.english.sports.gov.uk http://www.sportengland.org/se_facilities_villagehalls.pdf

work and local involvement. This has been accompanied by changes in the physical requirement of museums – more flexible spaces for learning and community activities and better cafe, retail and toilet facilities. Very few new museums are being built. However, refurbishments and extensions are continuing to provide enhanced and improved facilities to fulfil the new and enhanced role that museums play in their communities and to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated 21st century audience. The redeveloped and extended buildings provide space to enhance the display and interpretation of collections, provide improved access to a broader audience (both digitally and physically) and house the associated facilities such as learning and community spaces. In the Standard Charge Approach report for Living Places7 MLA proposals for museum benchmarks are provided against the two main parameters: - A space standard: MLA recommends a figure of 28 square metres per 1,000 population as a benchmark for local authorities. This is based on the average level of provision taken from a sample survey of local authorities8. - A construction and fit out cost based on the average of costs from relevant projects covered in the sample survey, as well as comparative building cost information data from Spon’s Architects

7 Arts, Museums and New Development - A Standard Charge Approach (2009), ACE and MLA

8 The survey employed a typology used by the University of Sheffield for its study for the

DCLG Valuing Planning Obligations in England–Update Study for 2005-06 (DCLG 2008). This typology in turn was derived from work by Vickers (2003) for the ONS, which analysed local authorities by 129 key variables to produce ‘family clusters’ of local authorities. The survey methodology is recognised by the DCLG and is being used as the basis for its analysis of how local authorities are developing and implementing planning obligations.


and Builders Price Book (see Appendix 1), a figure of £3,250 per square metre (including construction and fit out costs) is suggested. The cost is made up of £2,589 sq m construction cost and £673 sq m fit out cost. The fit out costs exclude any specialist facilities or major ICT based interactive interpretation9.

4.1.1 Museum standard charge for North Northamptonshire The North Northamptonshire recommended space standard for museums is 30 square metres per 1,000 population. This is slightly above the 28 square metres recommended by MLA based on their local authority survey. With the key role museums and heritage centres play in Northamptonshire in creating a strong sense of place for existing and new communities, as centres for learning, as visitor attractions and community spaces, it is vital that adequate provision is made for expanding population of the sub region. The small scale of many of the existing museums and heritage centres means there will be a deficit in provision as the population of the

9 Full details are provided in Annex D of ACE and MLA standard charge approach report 2009

sub region expands with the new housing growth. Feasibility studies and business plans for the redevelopment of the Manor House Museum and the securing of permanent spaces for the Desborough and Burton Latimer Heritage Centres (outlined in the Cultural Investment Plan) will need to include more detailed assessment of the current space provision within the catchment area for each of the facilities to ensure that any developments meet the 30 square metre requirement. The feasibility and business plans will also need to set out detailed construction, refurbishment and fit out costs. As the £3,250 per sq m fit out cost recommended by MLA is based on average construction and fit out for a range of museums from national to local, slightly lower fit out costs are proposed for North Northants reflecting the regional and local nature of the museums and heritage centres in the sub region. The costs recommended here are based on the conversion, construction and fit out costs for regional and local museums set out in the Spon’s Price Book.

Contribution calculation:

- A calculation using the benchmark figure above gives a cost of £91,000 (28 x £3,250) per 1,000 people or £91 per person in new housing. This figure (adjusted if necessary for local needs and conditions) would then need to be related to the estimated occupancy of new dwellings in proposed housing schemes. These figures do not include any land purchase or external works costs, and relate to the fourth quarter of 2008.


4.2 Arts spaces New art galleries, theatre venues and increasingly multi-use facilities are becoming central to the regeneration and growth plans of urban centres. Whether new build, refurbishment or conversion, ‘arts spaces’ may be stand alone facilities or part of educational establishments, wider civic complexes or local community facilities. ACE has identified three typologies of arts space in their guidance on standard charges for the arts10. The typologies reflect building, spatial and functional cost concerns and focus on the functional requirements placed on the building by the arts activity rather than the art form itself. They are based on architectural guidance contained in the Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data, published by Architectural Press.

10 Arts, Museums and New Development - A Standard Charge Approach (2009), ACE and MLA

North Northants Museum Contribution Calculation

Using the 30 sq m space standard recommended for North Northants and the construction and estimated fit out costs from Spon’s Price Book the per person charges for a regional and a local museum would be: Regional: 30 x £2,500 = £75,000 per 1,000 population or £75 per person. £180 per dwelling Local: 30 x £1,600 = £48,000 per 1,000 population or £48 per person. £115 per dwelling


Fig 1: Types of Arts Spaces

Source: Arts, Museums and New Developments A Standard Charge Approach (2009) ACE, MLA

Example: Type 1 - Gallery

Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne – A new art gallery in the Devonshire Park

cultural quarter of Eastbourne, re-housing the existing Towner Art Gallery’s collection

and enhancing the Gallery’s role as a receiver of national and international

touring shows.

Type 1: Galleries This category includes facilities for temporary exhibitions, and galleries with permanent collections which have temporary as well as permanent exhibition spaces and related storage, curatorial and education functions. These may be co-located with other cultural facilities such as museums or arts venues.


Example: Type 2- Multi-use arts venue

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – A seven-storey extension to the listed

Belgrade Theatre housing a flexible second auditorium as well as enhanced

public and backstage areas. The scheme is part of the continuing regeneration of Coventry

city centre, with the extended and refurbished theatre adjacent, and linked, to a major new mixed-use development,

Belgrade Plaza. The theatre and plaza schemes together are expected to bring

significant new life to a previously run-down part of the central area.

Type 2: Multi-use arts venues and theatres

This category includes: – Small multi-purpose performing arts venues (c. 250 seats) for performance, exhibitions, workshops, talks, film screenings. Suitable for most locally based performing arts activities (drama, music, dance) not requiring specialist equipment or fit out

– Large multi-purpose performing arts venues suitable for large-scale performances and exhibitions, workshops, talks, films screenings (size not specified in ACE guidance report). Flexible, technically sophisticated with the capability of receiving large touring productions

– Theatres of all types, including studio (seating 250 or 250-400), playhouse (seating 350-700), lyric (seating for 1000-2000) and producing theatres (seating for large 700-950 or medium 450-700)

– Specialist performing arts venues, which may have sub-regional catchment areas, such as large concert halls and opera houses.

Example: Type 3 Production, rehearsal and education space for arts

Wysing Arts Centre in rural Cambridgeshire

provides local and international artists with studio and exhibition space. It re-opened in 2008 following a £1.7 million redevelopment of the site. It now houses a free-standing

studio block providing purpose-built accommodation for up to nine artists with a ‘new media’ suite for artists and community use and an education space for schools and

colleges. A new reception building includes gallery space and is linked to the refurbished exhibition gallery,

the two providing space for exhibitions.

Type 3: Production, rehearsal and education space for arts This category includes artist studios, education and workspace with associated public space, as well as space for sales. Spaces can encompass media and recording studios, incubation spaces for visual and performing arts development organisations and facilities which are used by universities, community groups and schools for arts based activities or teaching.


ACE proposes two main parameters defining a benchmark for arts provision – a space standard charge and a construction and fit out cost. The methodology used to arrive at the space standard benchmarks was a survey of local authorities11 identified by ACE as showing appropriate levels of satisfaction and participation according to Best Value Performance Indicators used in the Active People survey data. To arrive at the recommended building costs arts facility surveys were conducted and analysed by Jackson Coles (Construction Cost Consultants), GAME (Project Managers) and ACE Capital Team. Cost figures relate to 4th quarter 2008. - A space standard: The ACE recommended benchmark for arts space is 45 square metres per 1,000 population. This standard is based on the average total area (in square metres) of publicly owned and managed, or regularly funded, arts provision in relevant local authority areas for the three categories listed above (Types 1-3). This benchmark does not include every local arts facility that could be provided by other commercial, educational or community organisations. ACE carried out a review of data on ACE regularly funded organisations, and National Performance Indicators for satisfaction and participation in the arts to arrive at the benchmark.

11

The survey employed a typology used by the University of Sheffield for its study for the

DCLG Valuing Planning Obligations in England–Update Study for 2005-06 (DCLG 2008). This typology in turn was derived from work by Vickers (2003) for the ONS, which analysed local authorities by 129 key variables to produce ‘family clusters’ of local authorities. The survey methodology is recognised by the DCLG and is being used as the basis for its analysis of how local authorities are developing and implementing planning obligations.

- A construction and fit out cost estimate for each of the three types of provision based on the average fit out costs of facilities in the local authority areas in the ACE study. These are:

– Type 1: galleries housing permanent collections and temporary exhibitions – a mean construction and fit out cost of £3,400 per square metre.

– Type 2: multi-use arts venues and theatres - a mean construction and fit out cost of £3,700 per square metre.

– Type 3: production (including artist studios and workspace), rehearsal and education space for arts - a mean construction and fit out cost of £2,280 per square metre.


4.2.1 Arts venues standard charge for North Northamptonshire It is recommended that North Northamptonshire adopts the space standard for arts venues proposed by ACE - 45 square metres per

1,000 population. The space standard for the sub region should be spread across three ‘arts space types’ defined by ACE, with following allocations.

– Type 1: galleries housing permanent collections and temporary exhibitions – 30 square metres

– Type 2: multi-use arts venues and theatres – 5 square metres

– Type 3: production (including artist studios and workspace), rehearsal and education space for arts – 10 square metres

The highest proportion of the space standard has been allocated to dedicated gallery space (Type 1) as the lack of galleries mean there is no capacity for the projected growth in population that could expect to have such facilities - especially on the larger towns. The development of a new Fermynwoods gallery would help to address the provision requirements particularly for Corby and East Northamptonshire. Allocations have also been made for multi-use arts venues, such as the Fermynwoods Education Resource Centre. Further work will be required to establish the exact space requirement for the sub region and construction and fit out costs of each new and redeveloped facility. It will also be necessary to split the space allocation to reflect the particular impact and needs for each specific development until the introduction of the CIL allows for a more flexible sub regional approach. The construction and fit out costs recommended for North Northamptonshire is based on those set out by ACE.

Examples of contribution calculations: The benchmarks below are for local arts space provision. Major one-off schemes for galleries, theatres or arts venues of national or regional significance fall outside the scope of the guidance provided in the ACE standard charge proposals 2009.

Type 1: If all the recommended 45 square metre benchmark is devoted to gallery provision and improvements the contribution would be:

£153,000 (45 x £3,400) per 1,000 population or £153 per person in new housing.

Type 2: Using of all 45 square metre benchmark for multi-use arts venues or theatres the contribution would be:

£166,500 (45 x £3,700) per 1,000 population, or £166.50 per person in new housing.

Type 3: The lowest figure using the 45 square meter benchmark would be for arts production, rehearsal and education space:

£102,600 (45 x £2,280) per 1,000 population, or £102.60 per person in new housing.


4.3 Libraries

“It is recommended, where a need has been established, that local planning authorities adopt a minimum standard charge of£90 per person in new housing for library provision, and £22per person in new housing for archive provision, in

negotiation with developers’” (MLA, June 2008). Local authorities have a statutory duty12 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service to people who live, work or study in their locality. As libraries are redeveloped and new libraries built, many coming on stream in areas experiencing housing growth, partnerships and co-location of libraries with other services are becoming the norm for a 21st Century library provision. MLA’s proposals for the two main parameters of a standard charge for public libraries are as follows: - A space standard: MLA recommends a figure of 30 square metres per 1,000 population as a benchmark for local authorities. The MLA national survey of 149 planning and library authorities suggests that approved space standards tend to vary between 25 and 35 square metres per 1,000 population, leading to the recommendation for the 30 square metre national benchmark. The figure was tested by MLA in their follow up survey to authorities in 2007. The majority of those surveyed agreed with a 30 square metre figure, although a significant minority preferred a higher figure depending on their particular local circumstances. The figure of 30 square metres per 1,000 population is slightly below the figure in Roger Tym and Partners reportThe Costs and Funding

12

Under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums act

North Northants Arts Venue Contribution Calculation

Type 1: Gallery 30 x £3,400 = £102,000 per 1,000

population or £102 per person

Type 2: Multi-use arts venue 5 x £3,700 = £18,500 or £19

per person

Type 3: Production/education space 10 x £2,280 =

£22,800 or £23 per person

Total per person charge £144

Total per dwelling charge £346


of Growth in South East England which took 32 square metres per 1,000 population as its figure for estimating the costs of new public library infrastructure needs for the South East and Eastern Regions over the next 20 years. - A construction and initial fit out cost: These can vary by site and area, but taking the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Building Cost Information Service data, this can be from £2,807 per square metre in the East Midlands area to £3,465 per square metre in Greater London. A recommended benchmark figure proposed by MLA in their March 2009 report, based on the above, is £3,000 per square metre.

Further details on these charge benchmarks can be found in the 2008 MLA report Public Libraries, Archive and New Developments: A Standard Approach from which the above figures and calculations are taken.

4.3.1 Community facilities: Libraries The recommendation for North Northamptonshire standard charge for libraries is based on the MLA proposals set out in their report for Living Places13. The adoption of the space standard of 30 square metres per 1,000 population is recommended. The fit out and construction costs used are based on the RICS BCIS data for the East Midlands - £2,807 per square metre14.

Further analysis will be required to establish the current level of per space provision per population and likely increased requirement in response to the proposed growth.

4.4 Archives Local authorities are also required by The Local Government Act 1972 to make proper arrangements for any documents that belong to or are in the custody of the council. The Public Record Act of 1958 places additional responsibilities for safe keeping upon local authorities who act as ‘Places of Deposit’ for records covered by the Act. Other requirements with regard to access to information in records and archives have been placed on public bodies through

13 ACE/MLA Standard Charge Approach report 2009 prepared for Living Places and available to download from the Living Places website www.living-places.org.uk 14

These are set out in the ACE/MLA Standard Charge Approach report 2009


– A calculation using the recommended benchmark figures above gives a cost of £90,000 (30 x £3,000) per 1,000 people, or £90 per person in new housing. These figures do not include any land purchase costs.

– Using the East Midlands fit out cost benchmark gives a

cost of £84,210 (30 x £2,807) per 1,000 people or

£84.21 per person in new housing.

North Northants Libraries Contribution Calculation

30 x £2,807 = £84,210 or £84 per person

A per dwelling charge of £202.


the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which came into force in 200515. Archives contribute to sustainable communities as a resource for individuals, communities and business and interest. In a study by the National Council on Archives, 99% of visitors felt archives strengthened family and community identity. Demand for their facilities and expertise is growing (50% growth in visits between 1994-2004). Many visit archives for family history research, over ten per cent do so in connection with their employment16.

Archive facilities generally have a centralised storage facility and space for people to consult and research archive material. As increased digital access to archival material is desirable, archive services will need to offer more PC-based facilities for users both centrally and through a devolved network of information points in libraries, local heritage centres, community halls or in other accessible locations. Resources are also likely to be required to support the digitalisation of the archives.

MLA’s proposals for the two main parameters of a standard charge for public archives to cover the above requirement for facilities are:

- A space standard benchmark of six square metres of new or refurbished archive space per 1,000 population. This is based on a survey of archive provisions (2006) including some proposed schemes at an advanced stage of planning which reveal a current and desired level of provision. The square metre per 1,000 population ranges from 3.1 square

15

MLA (2008) Public Libraries, Archive and New Developments: A Standard Approach p.8 16

ibid

metres in Kent to 9.5 square metres in the City of Hull. Berkshire and Oxfordshire have 4 and 5.1 square metres per 1000 population respectively. - Analysis of the costing from the 2006 survey revealed a construction and initial equipment cost of £3,600 per square metre.


– A calculation using the benchmark figure above gives

£21,600 (6 x £3,600) per 1,000 people or £21.60 per

person. For a new dwelling occupied by 2.4

persons this would be £52.80.


Examples17:

17 Taken from Public Libraries, Archive and New Developments: A Standard Approach - MLA 2008

4.4.1 North Northamptonshire Archive Contribution Calculation Whilst archives are a county level facility their importance and contribution across the county to the learning and skills agenda and place making mean they are a resource for all Northamptonshire’s communities. The archive is building on their work with communities throughout the county and is looking at a digital programme for the future, linked to work with villages and local historical societies and museums that will include the newly extended towns and villages and new communities. It is recommended that the space standard for archives in North Northants is seven square metres per 1000 population, above the average identified by MLA, closer to that but not as high as that in Kent. This is to reflect the important role that the archive has in the expanding county. The construction and fit out cost to be used is that set out by MLA (£3,600) plus a slight increase of £100 per sq m to cover rise in costs since 2006, giving a per sq m cost of £3,700.

Milton Keynes

The Milton Keynes Council approved Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on Social

Infrastructure [2005] suggests new archive provision costing £2.5 million would be

essential over the development plan period.

The Council accept that planning obligations will be only one source of funding, stating

‘…there are potentially national funding opportunities that could contribute a significant

proportion of the development cost of these facilities. Funding provided in association with

developer contributions will increase the likelihood of being able to draw on these funds’.

The SPD therefore proposes that developer contributions should only provide some 30%

of the cost of archive facilities, at an average cost of around some £40 per dwelling. The

cut off point for contributions in Milton Keynes is schemes of ten dwellings or more.

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire County has a central Museum Resource Centre (MRC) which provides public

access to heritage, local history and archaeology collections for study and research. It

also provides conservation advice and training for small museums and enthusiasts

concerned for the care of their objects and collections.

The City of Oxford Planning Obligations SPD seeks contributions as follows ‘…The MRC is

operating at capacity and needs an extension to meet the demands arising from further

development throughout the county. The provision of an extension largely depends on

external (non-development related) funding. However a contribution towards the

expansion will be required from residential development schemes of ten dwellings or

more.’

The cost of providing the extension is estimated at £2.6 – £3 million, with the proportion

of this due from development of around 20%; that is £600,000.

Divided by the number of dwellings envisaged in the development plan this gives a

standard charge of £13 per dwelling. This is the equivalent of £7 for a one bed dwelling

and £22 for a 4+ bed dwelling.

North Northamptonshire Archive Contribution Calculation

7 x £3,700 = £25,900 or £26 per person.

A per dwelling charge of £62.


4.5 Community and village halls Local authorities reviewed use a range of evidence to arrive at a standard provision and build cost per square metre: Example 1: Corby Borough Council Corby Borough Council is using the community facilities contribution model applied for Stanion Housing Development to extrapolate figures for community facilities against housing projection figures to 2026. The Community Facilities Contribution for 1,000 new dwellings in Little Stanion was £945,000, with a further community obligation of £60,000 providing a total of £1,005,000. This gives a per dwelling contribution of £1,005. Applying this cost basis model to the housing trajectory to 2026 in Corby using a £1,000 per dwelling charge gives a total community facility contribution of £19,516,000. The £1,000 per dwelling community facility contribution has now also been agreed for Avenue Farm at Gretton. It is also being considered for the west Corby extension to support the build of a village hall at Cottingham/Middleton. A site has been identified along with a build cost of £0.5 million. £40,000 has been secured towards the build providing a £460,000 capital shortfall plus the initial revenue costs. With approximately 500 new dwellings a per dwelling build charge of £920 and facility running costs would justify a £1,000 per dwelling community facility charge.

Example 2: Wellingborough Borough Council Wellingborough Borough Council SPD Wellingborough Developer Contributions (June 2009) sets out a per person contribution of £127 for community centres. The per dwelling cost varies as follows: No. of bedrooms

1 2 3 4/5

Occupancy 1.32 1.76 2.60 3.38

Charges £168 £224 £330 £429

In Wellingborough standard charges will relate to all proposals for one new dwelling or more. Example 3: Colchester Borough Council In their Draft Supplementary Planning Document for Provision of Community Facilities (March 2009), Colchester Borough Council use a standard provision for community building of 0.75 square metres floorspace per dwelling. As a guide, the Council uses a survey undertaken by Fordham Research Associates, into existing provision in Colchester (2000). This study suggested a standard of 0.75 square metres per dwelling, up to the optimum size suitable and sustainable for the development.

For the build cost, Colchester use latest average build costs for community facilities as specified by the BCIS classification CI/SfB 532 - £1,138 per square metre of floor space18.

18

Figure from the 4th quarter 2008.


This results in an £853.50 per dwelling charge (£1,138.00 x 0.75). This ‘dwelling calculation’ is then broken down into the ‘person calculation’. The 2001 Census indicates that the average number of persons per household in Colchester Borough was 2.37 persons. Therefore, the per person contribution is £360.13 (£853.50 ÷ 2.37). In Colchester, the proposed contribution can be used for the following:

– Providing a capital contribution to invest in and develop existing community facilities in the local area.

– Providing a capital contribution towards developing a dedicated community space.

– The provision of a purpose built and equipped centre together with a financial contribution towards the running and management costs for the first 3 years (usually 10% of build costs). This should enable the necessary community activity to take place and thus ensure the building can become self-sustaining. The internal layout of the building will need to be agreed with the Council (and where possible the community) prior to build to ensure it meets the needs of the development at the time.

– The provision of a plot of land of appropriate size and location to enable a centre to be built and the provision of capital to enable the feasibility, design and construction work necessary. The costs of build should be based on the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors guidelines at the time of the agreement. Any financial contribution will therefore need to be index linked to a construction index to enable the capital to meet the costs at the time of build. 10%

contribution towards running and management costs for the first 3 years is also expected.

– Providing finance towards a borough wide community facility.

Example 4: Wycombe District Council Wycombe District Council use a per person space standard to calculate their contribution charges for community space. Their current space standard is 0.3 sq m of community facility space per person. This calculation is based on the standard used by Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council. However, the 2009 Wycombe Community Facilities Strategy recommends changes to the current standard with a lower space standard suggested for new developments. The revised standard for new community development in Wycombe District is 0.14 square metres of community facility floor space per person. The justification for this is that using the Sport England ‘Village and Community Halls’ design guide, the minimum size of building required in new developments is 575 square metres to provide a main hall, a secondary hall and a lounge/community room as a minimum. Dividing this by the ‘Shaping Neighbourhoods’ Guidance of 1 centre per 4,000 population, this gives a standard of 0.14 square metres per person. The new recommended standard should relate only to contributions for new facilities. The Wycombe Community Strategy recommends that existing provision is not decreased as there are already gaps in provision. A review of Wycombe’s existing community provision found that over the district as a whole 0.44 square metres of community space per 1,000 was being provided, above the ‘Shaping the


Neighbourhoods’ Guidance. However, some wards were found to be falling below this and targets were set to bring all existing provision up to this level.

4.5.1 Community assets: Community centres and halls The Community Facility Contribution model used by Corby Borough Council for the Little Stanion development is recommended for use as the basis for negotiations across North Northamptonshire. This approach, which provides a higher per dwelling charge, could be adopted for other cultural facility charge developments. The Little Stanion development used a £1,005 per dwelling figure. This was based on the requirement for a new community facility to support the new community of 1000 new dwellings and the cost of developing such a facility. This per dwelling figure has now been agreed for Avenue Farm at Gretton and is being considered for the west of Corby extension. It is also being explored to resource the development of a new village hall at Cottingham/Middleton as part of the west Corby extension.

4.6 Public art In the Wellingborough Developer Contributions SPD the Borough identifies an environmental and public art standard charge as part of the suite of charges for the development of new dwellings within the Borough boundaries. A per person rate of £80 has been set with per dwelling costs of: No. of bedrooms

1 2 3 4/5

Occupancy 1.32 1.76 2.60 3.38

Charges £106 £141 £208 £270

In Corby there is no set charge for public art, but negotiations with developers include a commitment to ensuring art and good design within the overall scheme of public realm development is agreed, rather than securing a separate fund for ‘bolt-on’ on public art. Ixia, the public art think tank, identified a number of councils as operating a standard charge for public art. Charges levied range between £126 and £531 per new dwelling19. These charges are underpinned by policies for public art, culture and leisure contained within the Local Development Framework. Councils including Wakefield, Hastings and Vale Royal in Chester operate policies recommending 1% of construction costs for public art within their supplementary planning documents. Essex County Council operates a ‘Public Art Common Fund’ that allocates up to 1% of the county’s capital programme budget to a ring-fenced pot for public art. A budget of £2.14 million over three years to spring 2010 has been allocated to Genius Loci (‘Spirit of Place’), a public art programme linked to the County's major capital development schemes. A key priority of Genius Loci has been to commission artists early in the design process. Projects have included integrating public art into schools, highways projects and a number of temporary public art projects as part of town centre regeneration programmes in the county. Further details about the programme can be found on http://sketchbook.the-edi.co.uk/ Public art development and resourcing for North Northamptonshire is considered in more detail in the Public Realm Strategy for Northamptonshire County Council developed by TFCC as part of the Cultural Investment Plan suite of documents.

19

Ixia planning system update, April 2008


Literature review

Arts Council England, Museums Libraries and Archives Council (2009) Arts, Museums and New Development: A Standard Charge Approach Colchester Borough Council (March 2009) Draft Supplementary Planning Document Provision of Community Facilities Ixia (April 2008) Planning System Update Museums Libraries and Archive Council (2008) Museums, Libraries and Archives and New Development: A Standard Charge Approach Sport England (2001) Village and community Hall Design Guidance Twenty Twenty Solutions Ltd (2009) Community Facilities Strategy, Wycombe District Council


Appendix 1. Summary of Cultural Infrastructure Building Costs from Spon’s Architects’ & Builders’ Price Book 2008 133rd Edition

Recreational Facility £ per sq m exc. VAT

Galleries Refurb of historic bldg to create international standard gallery

3660 – 6050

International standard art gallery 3040 - 4170

National standard art gallery 2460 - 3040

Independent commercial art gallery

1320 - 1710

Theatres inc. Seating & stage equipment

Large over 500 seats 3830 - 4920

Studio/workshop with less than 500 seats

2740 - 3830

Refurbishment 1640 - 2740

Concert Halls inc. seating & stage equipment

2400 - 3910

Museums and Art Galleries National Standard Museum 2840 - 3990

National standard independent specialist museum (excl fit out)

2080 - 2560

Regional including full air conditioning

2280 - 3420

Conversion of existing warehouse to regional standard museum

1710 - 2510

Conversion of existing warehouse to local standard museum

1080 - 1630

toward a standard charge for culture in north northamptonshire · wycombe district council – are...

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