After winning an appeal, an aristocratic landowner may build a steel sculpture measuring 180ft to celebrate the Queen.
Viscount Devonport’s plans for the £2million Elizabeth Landmark in a beauty spot had been rejected by the council.
Locals in Northumberland near Ray Estate said it looked more like an ‘toothpick.
Since then, the Northumberland County Council decision was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate. Lord Devonport stated that it would ‘act as an beacon for tourists’.
Viscount Devonport’s plans for the £2million Elizabeth Landmark (pictured is a concept) in a beauty spot had been rejected by the council
The Northumberland County Council’s original decision not to approve the plans has been overturned by the Planning Inspectorate. Lord Devonport (pictured), stated that it would “act as a beacon of tourists”.
A group of around 2,000 locals, called Keep the Wannies Wild – referring to the name of a nearby ridge – had objected to the plan.
They were opposed to its size, which was three times greater than the Angel of the North.
The artwork was meant to look like a thin slice off a hill. The steel monument would match the raised section.
It can be compared to a sundial because it has markings that mark the shadows cast by sunrise and sunset on April Queen’s Day. However, angry locals claimed that it looked more like an ordinary toothpick.
Viscount Devonport applied to have permission to build the artwork as well as a walking trail on his property.
In a statement, he stated that the development will have a “minimal impact on nature”
It is a sundial-like device that features markings to indicate the shadows cast on April Queen’s Birthday. However, angry locals claimed that it looked more like an ordinary toothpick.
He said, “It is our ambition that we create a statue that not only celebrates Queen Elizabeth II of England and The Commonwealth, but that is also a magnificent work of art that acts to beacon tourists and visitors to the area.
Simon Hitchens is a sculptor who was given the task of creating a landmark that celebrated ‘unity and diversity’ between The Commonwealth of Nations.
Hitchens stated: “We still have a long journey ahead of us to bring the contemporary sculpture to fruition. But I am certain that when it is completed it will be an important addition to Northumberland’s natural and cultural landscape.”