Creative Land Trust announces new Board of Trustees

The Creative Land Trust, the charitable organisation set up by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Outset Contemporary Art Fund that will secure permanent workspaces for artists in London by purchasing buildings to provide affordable space, is delighted to announce its new Board of Trustees.

The Board will be co-chaired by Alexandra Notay (PfP Capital) and Catherine Webster (Quintain Ltd), and is comprised of leading professionals from the art, investment, legal and property sectors. Selections were made following a competitive application process, approved by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Retaining the creative community in London is central to the city’s success, with the creative industries contributing £52bn per year to the economy and accounting for one in six jobs in London. However, a shortage of affordable workspaces, rising rents and the insecurity of short-term leases threaten the future of the capital’s creative workforce and artist community. As a result, the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Outset Contemporary Art Fund partnered together to create and launch the Creative Land Trust in 2019 to boost London’s creative scene.

The Trust aims to secure 1,000 affordable workspaces in its first five years, offering space to help artists keep their practices running and helping maintain London’s status as an international cultural capital. The Board will work to achieve this by overseeing the acquisition of properties and the launch of a funding platform for investors to uphold the long-term viability and sustainability of the creative industries in London.

The Board is now actively looking to make acquisitions by accepting property asset transfers, and assets by outright purchase, including such as a building, a long lease, a section 106 agreement or a Community Infrastructure Levy. They are also delighted to be accepting applications for the Trust’s new Chief Executive Officer, as they gear up for an exciting year ahead.

Alexandra Notay, Co-Chair of the Creative Land Trust Board said:

“A vital element of successful placemaking around the world has always been to support and embed a thriving arts and cultural community. As a beneficiary of various community arts programmes in my childhood I am painfully aware of how much harder it is for creative artists, makers and musicians to survive and thrive now, both in London and across the UK. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with my fellow Trustees to help support both existing and new artists to be part of the sustainable fabric of great places across London.”

Catherine Webster, Co-Chair of the Creative Land Trust Board said:

“Having become aware of the declining stock of affordable studios in London and wishing to help foster the creative community at Quintain’s 85-acre regeneration site, I helped to establish new affordable studios within Wembley Park, the first of which opened in 2017. My interest in this sector has rapidly grown from there and so I am thrilled to be able to play a key role in the Creative Land Trust using my property knowledge, network and investment background to help establish the Trust and in so doing provide a permanent and stable base for London’s creative community.”

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, said:

“I’m delighted that the Creative Land Trust has been able to appoint a board with such a wide range of experience and skills. The Trust will protect the capital’s artists, ensure they are given the support and space they need to flourish, and keep London as a global centre of talent and innovation.”

For more information contact Niamh Mercer on 020 3463 0826

About the Creative Land Trust

The Creative Land Trust is a new charitable organisation that will secure permanent workspaces for artists in London by purchasing buildings to provide affordable space to be run by studio providers.

• The Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Outset Contemporary Art Fund partnered to create and launch the Creative Land Trust, with initial funding from the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Trust will provide a new source of capital to support studio providers and creatives. This funding will support fast access to capital to purchase buildings that is not currently available from other sources.
• The Creative Land Trust will ensure that the rental of the buildings in its ownership are set at affordable rates in perpetuity, working with studio providers to commit to affordability. The artists and creative projects that will benefit from the Trust will be defined in line with Art Council England’s creative workspace terms.
• The Creative Land Trust is now open to receive charitable donations, land, buildings and cash. Funds will be further leveraged by creating a long-term investment platform to catalyse the growth of the acquisitions portfolio.
• The Creative Land Trust will look to make acquisitions by accepting property asset transfers, and assets by outright purchase, including such as a building, a long lease, a section 106 agreement or a Community Infrastructure Levy. Buildings will be considered across London, up to 60,000 square feet of space, with preference for (but not limited to) B1(b), B1(c) and D1 use class. Example buildings that will be considered include (but are not limited to) existing artist studios, large scale retail units, ground floor commercial units, buildings at risk of closure or redevelopment and light industrial units.

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees includes:

• Alexandra Notay, Build to Rent Fund Director, PfP Capital
• Catherine Webster, Executive Director for Strategy and Investment, Quintain Ltd
• Philip Bier, Chief Executive Officer, Bier Brothers Ltd
• Natalie A Carter, Commercial Real Estate Associate, Greenberg Traurig LLP
• James Cooksey, Director of Central London, The Crown Estate
• Michael Davis, Head of JLL Unlimited
• Candida Gertler OBE, Co-founder and Director, Outset Contemporary Art Fund
• Sue-Lin Heng, Managing Director, Eastdil Secured
• John Lewis, Executive Director, Peabody
• Alice Millest, Country Representative, European Venture Philanthropy Association
• Pav Sharma, Senior ETF, Index and Smart Beta Sales, UK & Ireland, Amundi Asset Management
• Krupa Thakrar, Legal Counsel, Marshall Wace

The board’s initial focus is in the following three areas:

• Purchasing outright its first property in London to be used as studio space, the first in a portfolio to give desperately needed long term security to the art and creative sector;
• Recruiting artist trustees to provide a vital voice on the board, and with direct experience of the issue of affordable workspace in London. These will sit in parallel with a group of high-profile artist ambassadors, including Yinka Shonibare CBE.
• Hiring a Chief Executive Officer to replace interim CEO Sara Turnbull, with applications to open at the end of the 2019.

Steering Group

The Creative Land Trust’s Steering Group is made up of observers and funders including:

• Nicolette Cavaleros Trustee, Outset Contemporary Art Fund
• Kirsten Dunne Senior Manager, Cultural Infrastructure and Public Realm, Greater London Authority
• Naomi Dines Artist & Lecturer, Occupation Studios
• Tony Gibbon, Founding Partner, BH2 (Board Adviser)
• Jemma Read Global Head of Corporate Philanthropy, Bloomberg
• Pru Robey Senior Fellow, Artscape
• Francis Runacres, Executive Director, Arts Council England
• Nicola Saunders Director, Business Improvement & Innovation, Arts Council England
• Sabine Unamun, Director, London (Interim)/ SRM Visual Arts, Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Bloomberg Philanthropies works in over 480 cities in more than 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation, corporate and personal giving. In 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $702 million. For more information, please visit www.bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.