LET'S PUT SOME PRIDE INTO NEW BUILDINGS

Published on Thu 14th Jun 2007

panelled corridor at Hester's Way Primary School

More consideration should be given to artwork and other features to make Gloucestershire's new buildings interesting, attractive and a source of pride for their users - so say the County Council's Liberal Democrats.

The County Council is committed in its Local Area Agreement to develop policies promoting art for the good of the community, but at present there is still much that can be done to improve the appearance and quality of buildings commissioned by the Council, such as schools and Libraries.

Cllr Charmian Sheppard, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children and Young People, and Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Liberal Democrat group leader, recently visited Hester's Way Primary school to inspect the decorative glass corridor installed there in 1999. This work of art was commissioned under a policy of the previous County Council administration called "Percent for Art" which was abolished by the new Conservative administration when it came to power.

Percent for Art is the policy of spending approximately 1% of the cost of a new building upon a specific decorative feature, provided that the users of the building are able to contribute their ideas to its design and benefit from its eventual construction. Cllrs Sheppard and Hilton will propose the reinstatement of Percent for Art at next Wednesday's Council meeting.

Cllr Sheppard said:

"There have been some wonderfully imaginative works of art commissioned by the County Council which lend our public buildings real character. The Percent for Art policy gave the buildings' users, such as children in some of our schools, an opportunity to contribute their ideas to the design and construction of these features, which remain a real credit to the Council's building programme."

Cllr Sheppard added:

"These works of art brighten up the day-to-day use of facilities such as schools and libraries. School children love the varied features that have been added to our schools through this policy, and they love the opportunity to improve and personalise the buildings they work in and leave their mark upon them."

Cllr Hilton said:

"By proposing to reinstate Percent for Art at the next Council meeting we hope to see an increase in the number of local artists promoted and supported to improve the design and quality of public buildings. This can only benefit our economy, our service users, and the appearance of our built environment. This small commitment will provide lasting and distinctive finishes to our public works. It is important that the Tories appreciate the great benefits of this proposal and support it on the day."