North Yorkshire councillor defends funding for Catterick Garrison art project
Council approves public art installation amidst redevelopment program
A councillor has rejected criticism that funding for a public art project in a North Yorkshire park could be better spent elsewhere.
Councillor Kevin Foster made the comments as North Yorkshire Council approved planning permission for six artwork totems and a steel sculpture in Coronation Park in Catterick Garrison.
The artwork is being installed as part of Catterick’s £21m town centre redevelopment scheme.
Cllr Foster, who represents the Hipswell and Colburn decision, told the meeting that he disagreed with a comment noted during the consultation for the application that the money for the artwork would be better spent on helping local people.
He added: “This is a part of a levelling-up fund grant of a £21m — £19m from the government, £2m from the MoD.
“So if we didn’t use this, we’d just give it back to the government. I would like to explain that so people know where this money is coming from.
“It’s coming from national government funding, not from council money.”
Councillors voted unanimously to grant planning permission for the artwork, which will be created by contemporary artist Katayoun Dowlatshahi and steel sculptor Steve Anwar.
Inspired by Catterick’s history and natural surroundings, the six totems would be over two metres high and made from corten steel with a ribbon design print waterjet cut into each.
Each totem includes a ceramic collar. The artist would aim to create an impression into the clay of the totem using leaves in order to achieve an “engaging, tactile element to the work and reflect the hidden flora that can be found in the park”.
The sculpture would be located in the mini plaza at the base of a ramp from Shute Road.
The concept for the structure is to embody the values of Catterick Garrison and its “evolving identity: diverse, dynamic, and deeply rooted”.
The artwork would feature a poem which has been inspired by the artist’s engagement with the local community.