Artist in her studio at Wallis Road Studio, Creative Land Trust

Impact for Policy makers

We work with planning advisors and policymakers at city and local authority levels to strengthen guidance on the importance and need for affordable workspace, including in both the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 policies. 

How Creative Land Trust creates long-term change

CLT is a creative placekeeper; its role is distinct from studio provision. It secures permanent creative infrastructure that would otherwise be difficult to protect through the market alone. We have developed specifications to help guide policymakers and property developers, providing commercial property handover specifications that will make affordable creative workspace models viable. 

We also partner with property developers at the planning application stage to integrate affordable creative workspace and cultural offers into mixed-use developments that bring vibrancy and genuine activation into our buildings.

If you are a local authority, property developer, studio provider or are interested in our policy work and would like more information, click here:  

THE CHALLENGE

Rising land values, redevelopment pressure and insecure leases are shrinking affordable creative space in London and increasing precarity for artists and providers.

WHAT CREATIVE LAND TRUST DOES

Foundational outcomes

0-36 months

  • Secures buildings

  • Protects affordability

  • Partners providers

  • Supports artists

  • Shapes policy

Artist outcomes

1-5 years

  • Workspace secured

  • Providers stabilised

  • Infrastructure retained

Place outcomes

3-7 years

  • Practice sustained

  • Careers opened

  • Access widen

  • Artists retained

System outcomes

5+ years

  • Communities grow

  • Local engagement rises

  • Creativity visible

  • Places enriched

Long-term impact
  • Infrastructure recognised

  • Policy strengthened

  • Model informs others

LONG-TERM IMPACT

A London where artists from all backgrounds build long-term careers, creative communities remain rooted in neighbourhoods, and affordable creative infrastructure is protected.

Creative infrastructure

Securing affordable space for the long term

73%

say they have extended their professional network in the building

87%

say they are confident they can keep their studio long-term

90%

choose to renew their studio rental contracts

50%

of new studio holders were working from home before

182

Artists supported

90%

say they are confident in the long-term provision of their building

93%

agreed their space is affordable

100%

say their studio is essential to their creative development

Our impact includes:

  • A growing portfolio of permanent artist studio space across the capital
  • Hundreds of artists supported
  • Buildings protected for creative use in perpetuity
  • Strong and sustained demand for affordable workspace
  • Long-term cultural and community benefit within neighbourhoods across London

We work collaboratively with studio providers, developers, local authorities, funders and communities to strengthen London’s long-term creative infrastructure.

Our Reports

We commission reports to help illustrate the impact and importance of affordable creative workspace for artists, communities, place, the economy and society.

Nothing Found

Our Reports

We commission reports to help illustrate the impact and importance of affordable creative workspace for artists, communities, place, the economy and society.

  • Kings College ARtist's Workspace Consultation Report

    Artist’s Workspace Consultation Report

    An in-depth qualitative consultation with over 30 stakeholders from across the creative sector (including arts organisations, land trusts, studio providers, local and regional authorities, academics and developers) the report gathers insights about the key challenges of affordable creative workspace provision in London and potential solutions to these challenges.

  • Creative Places Create Value

    Creative Places Create Value

    Creative Activities contribute to successful placemaking. #CreativePlacesCreateValue posits that a professionally managed creative workspace is often a more viable and financially attractive option than other commercial uses because it offers long term secure income, particularly appealing in uncertain times.

Research

Creative Land Trust was conceived following a series of reports highlighting the challenges of sustaining creative industries in prospering cities, and the risks poses to our culture and economies if the sector is not protected.

Since then, we have seen unprecedented changes to communities and industries. COVID-19 highlighted the fragility of our creative industries as well as shedding light on many other challenges within the sector.

As we continue to understand and forecast the many external forces that affect studio provision, we will document findings, reports and case studies to help inform our support of the sector.

  • Creative Space Design Guides

    Creative Space Design Guides

    The Creative Spaces Design Guides have been developed to give creative practitioners, property owners, developers, architects, local councils, designers, builders and more expert advice on how to establish a creative space. The free guides provide detailed information about how to design and build creative spaces that are fit-for-purpose, reflect global best practice and have a long and sustainable lifespan.

  • World Cities Culture Trends Report 2024

    This report showcases how cities are using cultural solutions to tackle urban challenges. Cities now represent over 80% of global GDP and half of the world’s population, and play a critical role in addressing complex issues such as increasing costs of living, the climate crisis, and geopolitical instability. WCCF explore upcoming trends for global cultural policy, including culture’s role in addressing inequality and historic injustices.

  • Visual Arts Organisations call new Government to action

    21 organisations across the visual arts have come together to provide key policy recommendations for a new UK government to enact to help sustain and grow the UK’s visual arts and support the UK’s visual artists.With the visual arts contributing £49 billion to the UK’s creative industries, it’s time to recognise the power of the UK’s visual arts and maintain our global presence.

  • Fostering impact

    Fostering Impact: An investor guide for engaging communities in place-based impact investing

    A report designed for investors, developers, and stakeholders who want to enhance their impact and financial performance by forging partnerships with local communities through meaningful engagement. Our guide empowers investors to identify and pursue community engagement opportunities within a place-based impact investment approach.

Research

Creative Land Trust was conceived following a series of reports highlighting the challenges of sustaining creative industries in prospering cities, and the risks posed to our culture and economies if the sector is not protected.

Since then, we have seen unprecedented changes to communities and industries. COVID-19 highlighted the fragility of our creative industries as well as shedding light on many other challenges within the sector.

As we continue to understand and forecast the many external forces that affect studio provision, we will document findings, reports and case studies to help inform our support of the sector.

  • A Class Act

    An in-depth qualitative consultation with over 30 stakeholders from across the creative sector (including arts organisations, land trusts, studio providers, local and regional authorities, academics and developers) the report gathers insights about the key challenges of affordable creative workspace provision in London and potential solutions to these challenges.

  • Making Space for Culture Incubation Program

    Making Space for Culture Incubation Program

    Following many years working at the coalface of creative space planning and championing alternative development models from overseas, Left Bank Co. realised the need to bring together the property sector and the cultural sector to truly tackle the creative space challenge. Find out more about The Making Space for Culture Incubation Program in these detailed reports.