Creative Land Trust was founded to tackle a long-standing problem for London, and indeed other global cities. The loss of affordable workspace, and consequent outflow of artists and makers, presenting a serious threat to the wellbeing and prosperity of a city so reliant on creativity for its success.
Artists unable to focus their time on their practice due to the instability inherent in relying on temporary workspace, and expert studio providers displaced from their locations despite years of building equity.
London’s many excellent studio providers face growing difficulty in securing even “meanwhile” space; Creative Land Trust will build a new financial and operating model to secure workspace that would otherwise be unattainable. And as a charity we will demonstrate good practice in the way we select and support our studio provider partners.
Our Vision
London will always have space for artists to create, collaborate and inspire others.
Our Mission
Over five years we will secure affordable workspace that otherwise wouldn’t exist for 1000 or more artists and makers, and make it available for studio providers to rent. Working across London we’ll prove that we’ve created a sustainable and replicable model, ready to expand in the city and nationwide. And we’ll play our part in London’s post-COVID-19 recovery, helping to rebuild a vibrant creative city.
Values
Reliable
We’ll be stable and steadfast, the anchors on whom people can rely in the long term and the bridge between communities and sectors.
Supportive
We’ll look for ways to help.
Expert
We’ll always be respectful, and always learning, but we’ll really know our stuff.
Pragmatic
We’ll find real world solutions, focusing on delivery and innovating where we need to.
Invested
We care deeply about London, the arts, each other, and getting stuff done.
Our Workstreams
Building our portfolio
We will also acquire buildings through strategic partnership, and through asset transfer agreements with public sector organisations.
Managing the portfolio
Our estate will support a diverse set of artistic practices and enhances communities and developments in several boroughs.
Achieving financial sustainability
Each building will generate a modest financial surplus to meet financing costs and support core operations. We’ll generate further funds from; grants from a number of trusts and foundations, donations from philanthropies and legacies, and investment from patient impact investors.
Policy and campaigning work
We have no wish to become the sector’s spokesperson or representative, but as awareness of CLT grows, so will our impact through policy and campaigning work.
Seizing related opportunities
Social Impact
Our Social Outcomes are directly linked to our mission and are central to our business plan and strategy.
At the heart of our work is our ability to generate social value and community wealth through the impact of creativity and culture. This impact is delivered not only through the number of artists’ livelihoods that can be supported by the provision of longterm affordable studios but also through the power of working creative spaces to increase connectivity, empathy and system change in the communities within which they operate. Thereby contributing to the overall wellbeing and prosperity of the city.
Environmental Commitments
The Board of Trustees declared a climate emergency in 2020 and agreed a detailed sustainability plan with an overall aim of net carbon neutrality by 2025.
The key features of our sustainability plan are:
– We will report on our carbon footprint from the start of January 2021
– We will put green leases in place for all our buildings and work with studio providers to help lower their carbon footprint
– We will bring environmental considerations into our procurement processes
Full Strategy
Our full strategy describes and directs what we’ll actually do over the next five years to turn that vision into reality. Success in fulfilling this mission will provide the springboard for the next five-year strategy in the middle of this decade.
