Human Urban fails to trim $4.56m public art bill for $456m development
Nedlands council rejected Human Urban's bid to cut public art costs from $4.56m to $3.42m.
Developers of the $456 million Nedlands Reserve precinct asked the local council for a discount on public art requirements. The council rejected the plea unanimously.
The planning policy, adopted last April, requires major projects to put one per cent of their development cost into public art. Human Urban must therefore produce four artworks worth about $4.56m total.
The company proposed cutting this to 0.75 per cent, or about $3.42m. It argued a cheaper precinct-wide plan would be more cohesive and help offset rising development costs.
The council noted that several other local governments such as the City of Stirling use sliding scales for larger projects. But officers warned that abandoning the policy without first testing it would be irregular.
The council will review the policy next April.
- $456 million
- Development cost
- $4.56 million
- Art requirement at 1 percent
- $3.42 million
- Human Urban's proposed cost
- April 2026
- Policy adopted
Why it mattersThe council's stance signals it intends to enforce its new art policy consistently, protecting public amenity investment even as developers face cost pressures.
AustraliaNedlands residents will see at least $3.42m in public artworks from this first major development under the new rule, though the final bill depends on how the council reviews the policy in April.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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