The City of Nedlands has rejected a request from developer Human Urban to reduce its required public art contribution for the $456 million Nedlands Reserve development.

The project involves four development sites across Lots 80, 82, 83 and 84 within the Nedlands Reserve precinct.

Under the City's updated public art policy, adopted in April 2026, developments valued at more than $2 million must incorporate public artwork equivalent to one per cent of their total development cost.

Nedlands Reserve is the first major development required to comply with the updated policy.

With the four sites estimated to cost approximately $456 million, Human Urban is required to provide four public artworks with a combined value of around $4.56 million.

However, the developer requested that its contribution be reduced from one per cent to 0.75 per cent, lowering the total requirement to approximately $3.42 million.

The proposed reduction would have saved the developer around $1.14 million.

Human Urban also proposed delivering a coordinated precinct-wide public art program rather than four separate artworks associated with the individual development sites.

The company argued that a precinct-wide approach would provide a more consistent artistic outcome while helping to manage rising development costs.

City planning officers recommended rejecting the request, arguing that allowing an exemption so soon after introducing the updated policy would undermine its application.

Officers considered it inappropriate to depart from the new requirements before they had been properly implemented on a major development.

Nedlands councillors unanimously supported the officers' recommendation and rejected Human Urban's request for a reduced contribution.

However, the council acknowledged that the one per cent requirement could result in substantial financial obligations for particularly expensive developments.

Councillors subsequently agreed that the policy should be reviewed to determine whether greater flexibility was appropriate for higher-value projects.

Chief executive Paul Martin was directed to review the public art policy in April 2027.

The decision means Human Urban remains subject to the existing one per cent contribution requirement for its Nedlands Reserve development, unless a future policy amendment changes the applicable conditions.