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 has 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, effects of Covid-19 and its restrictions, we will document findings, reports and case studies to help inform our support of the sector. To tell us about a report you’ve found please contact us here.

Creative Space Design Guides

Left Bank Co (2024)

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.

Making Space for Culture Incubation Program

City of Sydney (2020-2024)

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.

The impact of Covid on London’s flexible workspaces report

Monday Works (2023)

The COVID-19 survey report by Monday Works tells the story of how Covid-19 affected flexible workspaces, how they evolved and opportunities for the sector moving forward. The report is based on three surveys conducted between July 2021 and May 2022, plus more in-depth surveys and interviews with three workspace operators to create case studies.

Assessing the direct impact of the UK arts sector

McKinsey & Company (2023)

A perspective on how to gauge and sustain the UK arts sector’s full impact. People in the UK engage with the arts on a massive scale. People engage with them because of their ability to entertain, stimulate the senses, and trigger a wide range of emotional responses, from enjoyment and awe to anger and fear. It is vital to the creative industries, for example, and contributes significantly to many other sectors of the economy. This indirect impact is explored later in the report.

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

Impact Investing Institute (2023)

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.

The Local Social Workbook

Creative Land Trust and Mayor of London (Mar 2023)

a new report offering valuable insights and practical guidance to stakeholders on partnering with the local community at Stratford’s High Street in East London and as a proposal for other town centres and high streets across the country. The report was produced by Office S&M Architects with partners Rosetta Arts and Khan Bonshek.

Latent Workspace in Hackney Wick and Fish Island

Hackney Wick & Fish Island CDT and LLDC (Mar 2023)

Hackney Wick and Fish Island Community Development Trust (HWFI CDT) has undertaken a snapshot study into understanding the potential positives as well as the barriers to activating newly developed commercial space in the Hackney Wick and Fish Island (HWFI) area of East London.

The Art of the Workplace

Brookfield Properties (Oct 2022)

New research evidencing for the first time since the pandemic the positive benefits of arts and culture in the workplace for office workers’ wellbeing, creativity and connectivity. The Art of the Workplace Report reveals what makes offices nationwide happier places to work and the importance of wellbeing in the workplace.

Creative Improvement Districts

Culture Commons (Nov 2022)

This policy paper, explores the rise of cultural regeneration as a favoured mechanism for growth by the UK Government and local decision makers. Learning from recent regeneration schemes that have successfully incorporated the creative and cultural sectors.

Artist’s Workspace Consultation Report

Dr Rhian Scott, King’s College London (July 2022)

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.

London’s Dead Spaces: Bringing them Back to Life

City Hall Green (June 2022)

Research shows ‘Councils own at least 442 dead spaces across London – with a huge variety of facilities currently out of use.’ This large number of dead spaces within communities offers huge potential both for rebuilding a more resilient local economy after, and community. Creative Land Trust are proud to be cited as one of the solutions; a way to breath life back into the area.

Making High Streets Work

Station to Station, Station to station, Lambeth, Leap, Mayor of London, prd, and a small studio. (April 2022)

‘Business office space rents in LB Lambeth increased by 71% between 2009-2019, whilst light industrial rents rose by more than 80%’ The reports demonstrates the local and London wide need for workspace, whether that ‘hot desking’ or co-working spaces, light industrial studios for makers & artists.

Creative Highstreets

We Made That & PRD (January 2022)

‘50% of adults would like to see more cultural experiences on their high streets.’
This paper articulates the opportunity for rejuvenating high streets, and provides practical information from case study research on how to prioritise strategies, plans and actions for embedding creative and cultural uses in high streets.

Creative Places Create Value

Creative Land Trust, Creative Estuary & Get Living (October 2021)

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.

Creatives for London

Culture and Commerce Taskforce (October 2021)

“100% of project representatives said creatives added value to the project.” Through a condensed review of four live City of London Corporation projects, this report develops an understanding of the value of embedding a cultural or creative person within a built environment project.

Impact of the Pandemic on the
Livelihood of Visual Arts Workers

CVAN (September 2021)

The average income of an artist is approximately £15,000 per annum. The average loss of income for a visual arts worker during the COVID-19 pandemic was just over £7,000. CVAN look at the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on the sector.

Social Mobility in the Creative Economy

PEC & NESTA (September 2021)

Class, participation and job quality in the UK Creative Industries. The first of a series of reports from the PEC’s Policy Review on Class and Creative Industries. The research shows a significant lack of diversity across creative industries, particularly across classes.

Affordable Workspace: A Solution, Not A Problem

BCO & Savills (July 2021)

Savills and the British Council for Offices (BCO) report suggests that closer collaboration between councils and developers is needed to address this affordability gap and increase the amount of workspace provided in London.

The double dividend

Local Trust (July 2021)

‘4,000 public buildings and spaces are sold every year’ “the poorest
places are often most reliant on public buildings and spaces”, therefore their closure has a “devastating impact” on communities which were already facing poorer outcomes.

Creating Public Value

Future of London (June 2021)

The value affordable workspaces and multi-use spaces deliver for local communities and for their role in catalysing further local investment and development. This paper demonstrates how local authorities can take an innovative approach to property portfolio management.

Mapping Creative Hubs in England

British Council (March 2021)

‘Security of tenure Security of tenure alongside a lack of fit for purpose space, were cited by a fifth of the sample as a key challenge.’ British Council provides a better understanding of the profile of creative hubs, who their members and beneficiaries are, as well as their role and impact in their community.

Putting Art Back into Planning

Town and Country Planning Association
(March 2021)

A practical guide to reunite art and planning. Including principles to guide the development of an arts strategy and specific recommendations on the components of a successful strategic approach.

Flexible Workspaces on our Highstreets

GLA & LEAP
(March 2021)

A call for the reimagination of the relationships between landlords, tenants, operators, and local authorities, ensuring that high street assets create social and economic value by providing space for local business of all sizes.

Diversity and Inclusivity
by Design

PEC & Anastasios
Maragiannis (2019)

Anastasios Maragiannis explores ideas of diversity and inclusivity in the creative spaces of art and design through co-design methods, her research looks at how to use co-design methods in order to empower marginalised groups.

Culture and Commerce: Fuelling Creative Renewal

City of London Corporation and Culture Mile, the Culture & Commerce Taskforce (February 2021)

A blueprint for a deeper relationship between the creative and business sectors to accelerate London’s recovery from the pandemic.

Impact Investing in the Global Creative Economy

Creative, Culture, Capital (January 2021)

As business evolves to be more than just profit-driven this report focuses on how cultural institutions can demonstrate impact in order to understand new avenues for funding.

Representation of Female Artists in Britain

Freelands Foundation (November 2020)

Only 29% of solo exhibitions at London’s major institutions are by women. Freelands Foundation release their 6th annual report looking at representation of women artists in Britain. Looking specifically at the way that gender, ethnicity and socio-economic factors intersect and impact on the career outcomes for artists.

Getting In and Getting On

PEC & NESTA (August 2020)

Class, participation and job quality in the UK Creative Industries. The first of a series of reports from the PEC’s Policy Review on Class and Creative Industries. The research shows a significant lack of diversity across creative industries, particularly across classes.

Re-use and Recycle to Reduce Carbon

Historic England (February 2020)

We must prioritise the refurbishment and reuse of existing buildings if we are to actually reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

NEftA Creative Placemaking

This white paper summarises two decades of creative American placemaking, drawing on original economic research and case studies of pathbreaking initiatives in large and small cities, metropolitan to rural, as well as published accounts.

Livelihoods of Visual Artists

TBR (December 2019)

Existing research states average annual turnover for artists from their practice was around £10,000, that only a very small minority earn more than £20,000 per annum. This study seeks to update evidence through an examination of the relationship between incomes, characteristics and demographics.

Artists Workspace Data Note

GLA (August 2018)

‘In 2014, 56 per cent of sites charged an average of £11+ per square foot. In 2017, this had risen to 79 per cent.’ This paper looks at how workspace provision for London’s artists has changed since our 2014 study on the subject.

World Cities Culture Report

Bloomberg Philanthropies, BOP, MOL (2018)

The most comprehensive review of culture in cities today. Thirty five cities give a picture of the exciting cultural movements in their cities, the issues and solutions being tested, and the potential for transformation and development in the future.

Making Space For Culture

World Cities Culture Forum (September 2017)

Culture, space and the affordability crisis in World Cities: shaping a solution. Through twelve case studies WCCF have identified a number of specific approaches, which can be taken to ‘scale up’ in response, to the affordable workspace crisis.

Culture & Climate Change

World Cities Culture Forum (June 2017)

World Cities Forum look at how 14 World cities are using creative programmes and campaigns; resources and support; partnerships and innovation; and policy and strategy to accelerate cultural action on climate change and environmental sustainability.

Making Space

Creative United (August 2016)

Many studios are on short-term leases, with 64% on leases of less than five years. 30% could disappear within five years, affecting some 3,500 artists. The aim of this study has been to investigate the UK’s existing creative workspace provision, and identify new forms of provision and potential funding models.

Start Me Up

IPPR (March 2016)

Almost half of business activities within coworking spaces, incubators and accelerators are in the creative industries, with another third in digital technology and 1 in 10 focusing on social impact. This paper explores the economic and social value of open workspaces to London.

MoL Creating Open Workspaces

GLA (July 2015)

This guide is intended to help councils set up new open workspaces, places where businesses and professionals share space, and/or specialist equipment, in order to reduce costs. For example co-working spaces, incubators, artists’ studios and maker-spaces.

Artists Workspace Study

GLA (September 2014)

Most artists are making under £10,000 per year from their work, so it is crucial to keep the cost of workspace low. However, within the next 5 years 28% of artists’ studios do not expect to be able to secure their premises. This study aims to establish an accurate picture of affordable studio provision for artists in London.

Workspace that works

Future of London (2011)

Workspace is under threat from higher-value residential use, yet small and micro businesses make up 99% of all London businesses and account for 41% of employment.This paper showcases best practice in linking workspace provision to regeneration, and highlights issues local authorities should be aware of when planning workspace projects.