Agenda item

The Executive are asked to consider report E/22/32, agree to adopt the Public Art Plan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire and implement the recommendations of the Plan.

The Leader indicated that reports E/22/32 and E/22/33 would be considered at the same time, but that decisions on both items would still need to be made separately.

The Lead Executive Member for Health and Culture presented reports E/22/32 and E/22/32 which asked Members to agree to adopt the Public Art Plan and Heritage Interpretation Masterplan, both of which covered the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster areas of North Yorkshire, and implement the recommendations of the plans.

Report E/22/32 - A Public Art Plan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire

Members noted that 2021 the Cultural Development Framework (CDF) for the district was adopted.  This recognised the important contribution of high-quality, authentic and relevant public art to making the district a vibrant, creative and unique place. It built on the work that the Council began with Selby 950 (which included the significant “Pilgrim” illumination of Selby Abbey, by artist Nayan Kulkarni) and was continuing, with artwork by Katayoun Dowlatshahi as part of the Selby Station Gateway TCF project and planned new work by Chris Tipping as part of the revitalisation of Tadcaster Bus Station. 

Officers explained that audiences had told the Council that they wanted to see public art which was site-specific and connected to the rich heritage of the district.  For this reason, there was a strong connection to the development of the Heritage Interpretation Masterplan for the district.  Selby Stories, the cultural programme of the Selby High Street Heritage Action Zone, was a good example of approaching authentic place-specific public art commissioning with heritage as the content. The creative sector had also told the Council that they would like opportunities to develop skills in public art and to make work for public spaces. High-quality public art was a strong driver for the visitor economy and could be a significant source of pride for residents.

The Executive acknowledged that there had not previously been a coherent approach to public art commissioning, which had led to a somewhat piecemeal approach. This meant the Council had not always made the most of the potential in using cultural place-making as part of making Selby District a ‘Great Place to Live’ and a ‘Great Place to Grow’. The Public Art Plan set out best practice and offered a strong framework for future development in the locality.

The Public Art Plan was attached as Appendix A to report E/22/32. There were three additional technical documents: a guide for developers and planners; a “how to” commissioning guide; and an opportunities matrix.  The opportunities matrix set out the wide-ranging potential projects for the District, including regeneration and revitalisation schemes which were already underway and those recognised as a future priority.

Report E/22/33 – A Heritage Interpretation Masterplan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire

Members noted that in 2021 the Cultural Development Framework (CDF) for the district was adopted. This recognised the importance of heritage to audiences (local and visitors), building on previous work (such as Selby 950) which had evidenced the strength of the district’s heritage stories and sites and the interest that key audiences had in understanding more. Heritage was a significant driver for the Visitor Economy and an important source of pride in Place for the people who lived in the district.

The report explained that the heritage sector in the district was predominantly made up of a large number of small, hyper-local groups of volunteers who worked hard to care for and sustain their local heritage, but there had previously been no work to develop a coherent story across the district’s heritage assets and sites. Some of the heritage narratives, such as Selby’s ship-building industry, or the Roman influence on Tadcaster, were hard to understand, as there were few remnants and often a lack of visitor interpretation, but they had shaped the district and had deep resonance for communities and visitors.  The stories needed to be shared in inspiring, engaging, meaningful and accessible ways.

The Executive acknowledged that work to understand the needs and wants of audiences (local and visitors) had evidenced a strong interest in using art as a vehicle to share the District’s rich heritage stories. Selby Stories, the cultural programme of the Selby High Street Heritage Action Zone, was an example of approaching heritage engagement in this way.  For this reason, there was a strong connection between the development of the HIMP and the development of the Public Art Plan, so both these pieces of work had been carried out at the same time. The Heritage Interpretation Masterplan was attached as Appendix A to report E/22/33.

Executive Members expressed their support for the plans and acknowledged the amount of work that Officers and the previous Lead Executive Member had put into the production of both. Considerable progress had been made over recent years in developing cultural activity in Selby District and this was welcomed by the Executive.

Some concern had been expressed previously that there were not enough photographs and illustrations in the two documents; the Executive were assured that whilst these had not been ready for the reports before them at the meeting, they would be inserted into the final versions.

Members acknowledged that officers were preparing and would maintain a detailed ‘Opportunities Matrix’ to help implement the plans.

The Executive were pleased to note that local artwork would be commissioned for communities around the district, which would make it feel more relevant to the different areas; temporary artworks such as those seen in Leeds and Hull did well in local areas.

The benefits to businesses and tourism that both plans could provide would be vitally important in improving investment in the district and increasing the popularity and visitor numbers to the area.

The Lead Executive Member for Health and Culture commended both reports to the Executive for agreement. A vote was taken on the reports separately.

Report E/22/32 - A Public Art Plan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire

RESOLVED:

The Executive agreed to adopt the Public Art Plan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire and implement the recommendations of the Plan.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

In July 2021 the Cultural Development Framework for Selby District was approved by the Executive. It recognised the significant potential impact of public art on the place-making and regeneration ambitions of the District Council, and the important contribution which public art makes to creating great places and high-quality public spaces.  The Framework included an action to develop a Public Art Plan, which would provide a strategic framework and future direction.

A Public Art Plan (PAP) had been developed (see Appendix A).  The Plan set out the ambition for public art and its role in revitalisation and regeneration schemes, as well as a tool to engage local communities with their locality. It included practical guidance for commissioners, developers and communities and identified specific opportunities where there were schemes, or concepts for future schemes, which would be enhanced by the inclusion of public art.

The Plan would increase the number of public artworks in Selby District; raise the ambition around quality and authenticity; enable communities, local organisations, and creative practitioners to attract external investment; offer skills development to the local creative sector; connect local people to their Place and provide marketable product for the Visitor Economy sector.  The Plan would contribute to cultural planning for North Yorkshire Council and provide local opportunities to benefit from the Shared Prosperity Fund, the Place Partnership Fund and the York and North Yorkshire devolution deal, as the Council moved into a localities structure within the new North Yorkshire Council.

Report E/22/33 – A Heritage Interpretation Masterplan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire

RESOLVED:

The Executive agreed to adopt the Heritage Interpretation Masterplan for the Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster area of North Yorkshire and implement the recommendations of the Plan.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

In July 2021 the Cultural Development Framework for Selby District was approved by the Executive, recognised the significant value of the district’s heritage (to local people and as a driver for visitors) and included an action to develop a Heritage Interpretation Masterplan. The Masterplan’s purpose was to identify the district’s most important heritage stories, sites and the ambitions of the local heritage sector, in order to develop a robust and practical approach to sharing these with communities and visitors.  

A Heritage Interpretation Masterplan (HIMP) had been developed. The Plan identified actions which would strengthen the district’s heritage offer; enable heritage sector organisations and groups to attract external investment; connect local people to their Place and enable them to engage with their heritage; drive visitors to great experiences and provide marketable product for the Visitor Economy sector. The Plan would contribute to cultural planning for North Yorkshire Council and provide local opportunities to benefit from the Shared Prosperity Fund, the Place Partnership Fund and the York and North Yorkshire devolution deal.

The HIMP articulated an ambition for heritage sites and stories, identified opportunities and captured the passion and commitment of our heritage sector.  It would enable the unique heritage assets of the district to be recognised and understood, as the area moved into a localities structure within the new North Yorkshire Council.