Olympic artwork set for Wirral Waters is delayed

Jan 4 2012 by John Siddle, Birkenhead News

THE launch of a £500,000 work of art set to mark the countdown to the Olympics has been delayed until at least March.

Anthony McCall’s spiralling column of steam and light at Wirral Waters – expected to be visible for up to 100km – was initially set to be launched on New Year’s Eve, as a focal point for the North West’s Olympic involvement.

Mr McCall’s column of light, generated by a machine under the water at the disused Birkenhead docks, is designed to appear as a white line against blue skies or a dark line against overcast skies.

It was to be the first in a series of 12 commissioned art works, known as the Cultural Olympiad, in the regions of Britain. But a planning application for the corkscrew column was only put before Wirral Council in late October.

Despite hopes for a New Year launch, the application has not yet been reviewed or recommended for approval by officers.

Projected Columns, the organisation working on the scheme on behalf of the Arts Council, said that March had been the intended date for some months.

Programme director Tanya Bryan said initial hopes of a New Year’s Eve launch had ended when planned funding was pulled by Locog (the organising committee of the Olympic Games).

She refuted claims that the art work was delayed because the planning application was submitted too late.

Cllr David Elderton, chairman of Wirral’s planning committee, said the application has been submitted as a “minor development” and, therefore, may not have been given priority status.

He said the first date that the structure could have been approved after documents were received on October 24 was on December 1.

Routinely, though, planning applications take around eight weeks.

Cllr Elderton said: “I am sure it will be a wonderful success when it happens and hope it advertises the area as we would like it to be.

“But, as yet, no decision has been taken by the planning officers. A public consultation period closed on December 1.

“I wouldn’t expect the matter to be brought to the planning committee, we only deal with 5% of applications.

“I would expect the officers to make a decision.”

The artwork will appear in the Cultural Olympiad programme alongside Nowhereisland – six tonnes of rock and earth to be towed around the south west coast – and Godiva Awakes – a 30ft model which will be transported cross-country by tricycles.