Bus station art approved despite cyclists' concerns

A sculpture is to be put up outside a bus station despite concerns raised by a cycling group.

Stevenage Borough Council's planning committee have approved plans for the 2.5m (about 8ft) artwork, showing three stacked rocks, to be installed outside the entrance to Stevenage Interchange.

Jill Borcherds, of Cycling UK Stevenage, said she was not against the work but the location was not suitable.

But council officers said they had consulted both the highways authority and their engineers, and the location "would meet guidance for the space left between the sculpture and the edges of footpaths".

Ms Borcherds said: "The concerns we are raising are entirely related to the location and certainly not the artwork itself.

"People approaching the junction from all directions need to be able to see each other to share the space safely."

The work was commissioned by the council from community group Junction 7 Creatives.

At the planning committee meeting, Labour councillor Lynda Guy suggested the "great" sculpture could be placed on the other side of the bus station rather than being "plonked" down in the intended location, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Liberal Democrat Stephen Booth, the leader of the opposition, suggested it could be moved "to front the actual bus station so that passers-by, motorists will see it and it would be a more suitable location".

The artwork is part of a wider scheme featuring mosaics "which will all tell a story with regards to Stevenage history and also personal journeys of the residents living in Stevenage", said planning officer Ailsa Davis.

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