The Scottish Government

Name

Steven Gray

Job title

Organisation

Aberdeenshire Council, Planning & Environment Service

Address

Gordon House

Telephone

01467 628 381

Fax

01467 628 469

Email

steven.gray@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

1 Aberdeenshire Council Education & Recreation Service

2 Aberdeenshire Council Transportation & Infrastructure

3 Scottish Enterprise Grampian

4 Communities Scotland

5 Development Industry

6 Community Councils

Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Aberdeenshire Public Art Strategy

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

The Public Art Strategy is seeking to promote and guide the delivery of public art projects taking into account the following issues: -

1) Consolidating and promoting best practice amongst design and construction professionals in the both the private and public sectors, during a period of exceptional labour mobility.

2) Building upon existing public art projects, partnerships and programmes in the diverse and dispersed settlements of Aberdeenshire.

3) Responding to a range of local and national cultural heritage issues, particularly a sense of place and identity.

4) Promoting a design led agenda for the regeneration of economically declining towns and the creation of new communities, place and spaces in the Aberdeen hinterland towns in accordance with the Aberdeenshire Local Plan.

Aberdeenshire is the local authority for the North East Scotland with an area of 5,500 square kilometres, stretching from the Cairngorm Mountains to the sea. Aberdeenshire consists of small towns serving rural hinterlands, coastal towns adapting to the decline in the fishing industry and developing commuter towns serving the neighbouring city of Aberdeen. There has been a history of public art projects in some towns but not in others. Co-ordination between the different delivery agents was variable and community involvement patchy. The Aberdeenshire Public Art Strategy was developed to deliver a co-ordinated and strategic programme of public art projects in partnership with other agencies, the private sector and local communities.

1) A partnership approach involving officers drawn from a range of Aberdeenshire Council Services and partner agencies to develop and manage site specific projects across Aberdeenshire.

2) Design led focus looking to promote best practice within Aberdeenshire based upon Scottish experience and examples from elsewhere in the UK or Europe.

3) Community involvement focus working with the Rural Partnership and Community Development Officers to draw local people and organisations e.g. traders associations or heritage societies into the public art project drafting and decision making process.

4) Providing a range of promotional tools. The Public Art Strategy itself as a Strategic, Council wide document. The Public Art Guidance Note: Towards Best Practice as a document for developers, agents, artists, design professionals and community groups. The Per Cent for Art leaflet for informing planning applicants and developers of the need to take into account public art and the application of the Per Cent for Art policy by the Planning Gain Co-ordinator.

5) Raising and maintaining awareness of the role public art in the built environment through the Aberdeenshire Design Awards, conferences and seminars.

The Public Art Strategy process commenced in March 2005 with a joint meeting with planning officers and arts development officers and the agreement on the need for a public art strategy to consolidate the professional expertise and experience gained as part of projects carried out as part of the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership.

Since March 2006 follow up public art projects are being developed in Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Turrif, Westhill and Huntly and a Public Art Officer post is under consideration.

A working group of planning officers and arts development drafted the public art strategy in May and June 2005. The working group identified the need for a public art strategy to gain wide spread support for a public art programme, a design guidance note, per cent for art leaflet, the inclusion of public art in the Aberdeenshire Design Awards and conferences for raising the profile of public art amongst construction and development industry professionals and Aberdeenshire communities.

A process of support and engagement with Council Members, Officers, community planning partners, the public and national agencies was undertaken between August 2005 and March 2006 when the Strategy was adopted. The Public Art Strategy was introduced at the March 2006 "Perceptions - People - Place: The Art of Regeneration" Conference in Peterhead with 100 delegates from the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Japan. Aberdeenshire Council and its partners, PROJECT, CABE, and the Scottish Arts Council supported the conference.

The Public Art Guidance Note: Towards Best Practice and the Per Cent for Art Leaflet were launched at the September 2006 Aberdeenshire Design Awards and are used by the Planning Gain Co-ordinators and Development Management Officers in their negotiations with planning applicants.

Aberdeenshire Council is the lead partner seeking to deliver a strategic programme of public art projects, promote best practice amongst design, development and construction professionals, adopt and maintain where appropriate the public art projects.

Scottish Enterprise Grampian and Communities Scotland support the development of public art projects which contribute to economic regeneration and community renewal through their involvement in the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership.

The private sector provide financial support for public art projects directly or indirectly associated with their development schemes through the application of the Per Cent for Art Policy or through a form and function approach to the design and construction of buildings and ancillary structures.

Local communities provide the "customers" for public art. Local communities have been recipients of public art projects and in some instances the lead clients and delivery agent.

1) The Public Art Strategy was approved by the Strategic Committees and all 6 Area Committees of Aberdeenshire Council.

2) The Public Art Strategy is being delivered by a range of Council Services

3) The Public Art Strategy is being supported by a range of partners, the construction and development industry (Peterhead) Scottish Enterprise Grampian and Communities Scotland (Fraserburgh) the arts and cultural sector (Inverurie and Huntly) and local communities (Westhill and Turriff).

The Aberdeenshire Public Art Strategy demonstrates the role public art has to play in promoting the design led planning process, nurturing the design and creative skills of development and construction professionals, creating distinctive public spaces and sustaining local communities interest in their built and cultural heritage .

28/08/07