Shakespeare statue application is withdrawn
THE £100,000 bronze sculpture of Shakespeare gifted the town by local businessman Tony Bird may not grace the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon after all after an application to site the statue opposite the town hall was withdrawn.
Back in February Mr Bird proposed locating the statue on a stone plinth at the junction of High Street and Sheep Street, Stratford. He had previously wanted to site it on Bridge Street traffic island but that proposal was withdrawn in March 2016.
This latest withdrawal is yet another disappointment for Mr Bird who says the location was perfect as it was close to Shakespeare’s school and his last home at New Place.
“I don’t think the planning officer at Stratford District Council thought the location was the right one and the towns people don’t seem to want it,” Mr Bird told the Herald. “I was born here and this is a gift after all to the town but now it probably won’t go to Stratford. If you visit Paris, Padua or Rome there are statues everywhere it’s part of their history. Have you seen Park Lane in London recently, there are statues all over the place! I accepted the town hall position for the Shakespeare statue. I had unanimous support from the town council. We haven’t got that many statues of Shakespeare and I wanted to bring some colour to the town.”
The statue, which has been created by one of the art world’s most prominent sculptors James Butler of the Royal Academy took two years to complete but so far no permanent home has been found for it. James Butler’s many previous works include a portrait bust of the Queen Mother, a 12 foot sculpture of President Jomo Kenyatta, and King Richard III’s statue in Leicester
The exact location for the most recent proposal of the statue of Shakespeare is an open space area formerly known as the Corn Exchange opposite the town hall. While this is a conservation area, a heritage statement accompanying the application states, the statue’s inclusion would not impact existing nearby historic buildings such as the town hall and Harvard House.
Indeed in its submission dated 14th March, Stratford Town Council said it supported the location. “However, there are concerns that if the street furniture surrounding the statue are retained then this would detract from the quality and the setting of the statue. The town council would like clarity from the district council about what will be removed from this area and where these items will be relocated to.” The submission reads.
Warwickshire County Council said: “The principle of the proposal is acceptable to the highway authority. However, the concerns of the consultees in relation to pedestrian safety have been noted. The plinth must be a design and constructed in a manner that will not cause safety issues for pedestrians.”
Yesterday Stratford District Council issued the following response: “Planning decisions are not determined simply on the view of the majority and technical matters must be considered in order to comply with the law. The application was withdrawn by the applicant and as such it is now beyond the scope of the Planning service to comment.”
