Planning levy on developers to fund arts and cultural projects
A new Hackney Council fund made up from charges placed on developers building in the borough will help pay for local arts and cultural events focussed on bringing residents together.
The fund will be open for voluntary and not-for-profit organisations to apply for grants from, after being approved by the Council’s Cabinet last night.
Money raised from the Community Infrastructure Levy – a charge applied to developers submitting planning applications in Hackney – will also be used to fund events such as Hackney Carnival or Discover Young Hackney under the agreed proposals.
Decisions to support arts and cultural projects alongside this will be judged against how they meet the ambitions of local people and demonstrate how they will bring the community together.
Whilst developers are welcome to invest into our borough and become part of Hackney’s growing economy, it’s vital that everyone who lives and works in the borough can also benefit from this growth and our changing borough.
The Council is already using the planning levy placed on developers to fund amazing events like Hackney Carnival, but now is the time to invest more of this money on local arts and cultural initiatives that bring us all together.
This investment into the arts and cultural sector will enable Hackney’s extraordinary creative community to work with residents and create great activities and experiences which bring us together and celebrate all that is good about Hackney.
Bidding will be open every six months for the fund, with further details to be set out later this year.
The fund is the latest Council step to ensure that growth and development in Hackney brings benefits for all residents and businesses facing a changing borough. For more information, visit the Regeneration page.