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Plan for sculpture on Borth beach a step closer

Robert Davies Image of how the metal tree will look if approved by plannersRobert Davies
How the metal tree will look if approved by planners

An artist's plans to "plant" a tree made from bronze on a beach have moved a step closer after Natural Resources Wales withdrew concerns it could affect local bird life.

Robert Davies applied to Ceredigion council for permission to install his 9.5m (31ft) tall tree on a stretch of sand between Borth and Ynyslas.

But NRW had "significant fears" that visitors to the artwork could threaten ringed plovers nesting nearby.

It has now withdrawn its objection.

As a result, council planning officers have recommended the controversial sculpture be approved, subject to several conditions.

If it is given the go-ahead, "Tree" will be set in concrete next to the remains of an ancient, petrified forest that often becomes visible at low tide.

Mr Davies wants his work to highlight the effects of global warming on sea levels.

Robert Davies Image of how the metal tree will look if approved by plannersRobert Davies
How the metal tree will look if approved by planners

The proposal has won support from some, including the Welsh Assembly's presiding officer and Plaid Cymru AM Elin Jones, who lives in nearby Aberystwyth.

Another supporter described it as "high quality contemporary art" and said it could become "iconic", likening it to artist Antony Gormley's Another Place installation of iron men statues at Crosby Beach, Merseyside.

But it has attracted equal levels of objection, including from Borth community council which said it would create "a detrimental visual impact on the landscape".

A petition signed by 39 people was submitted to Ceredigion council asking them to refuse planning permission and 31 people wrote letters expressing their objections, which included:

  • The sculpture would be a target for vandalism
  • There would be no disabled access to the sculpture
  • It would present a life-threatening danger to swimmers and those wishing to climb the structure

Mr Davies, who lives in Ceredigion, described the design of his bronze sculpture as "a leafless, windswept tree with its branches orientated with the prevailing wind and pointed towards land".

He added: "The exterior will have the look and feel of oak bark."

A spokesman for NRW, which initially raised concerns that groups of people visiting the statue could disturb a nearby population of ringed plovers - a threatened species - confirmed it had withdrawn its objection.

"Our conclusion is that we do not consider the proposal will damage the breeding population of ringed plover," the spokesman said.

The conditions Mr Davies must now meet before it can be approved by Ceredigion council's head of lifestyle services, Huw Williams, include putting "management and maintenance arrangements" in place and taking out a public liability insurance policy on the structure.

Consent can then be given by Mr Williams without the matter having to go before a full council meeting.