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.

Crawley borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040 Policy DD1: Normal Requirements of All New Development sets out that 'For all proposals, street scene improvements, public art, CCTV, and access and safety measures (such as fire hydrants), or contributions towards these, will be sought on a site-specific basis in accordance with policy and relevant service requirements.'

Local Plan paragraph 5.16 confirms that: ‘More information regarding providing public art as part of development schemes and through contributions is set out in the Urban Design SPD and the associated Public Art Annex to the SPD, and in the Planning Obligations Annex attached to this Local Plan’.

This calculator has been created to support the application of the requirement set out in the Local Plan Planning Obligations Annex that: 'Major developments will be required to allocate a sum equivalent to one per cent of build costs to the commissioning of public art work to be included as part of the scheme, or else as a commuted payment towards offsite provision of public art, where viability allows'. 

The calculator can be used to calculate the one per cent figure in relation to key development types where more detailed information is not available.

View the Planning Obligations Annex on pages 287 to 308 within the Crawley borough Local Plan

View the Urban Design SPD document (Annex 2: Public Art, pages 75 to 76) on our Urban design SPD webpage