Large woven shell planned for town art trail

Chichester District Council has been recommended to consider the plans on September 11

A local council is set to consider plans to install a 4.5m (14.7ft) shell art installation in Chichester.

The application for the woven willow periwinkle piece in the Medmerry Reserve has been recommended for approval by Chichester District Council on 11 September.

If permitted, it will be set up not far from Stoney Lane, Earnley, and made of Sussex willow around a wire frame and a steel structure.

But the plans have received an objection from Earnley Parish Council, which felt the piece would be "out of place and inconsistent with the purpose of the reserve".

The proposed art installation is said to be inspired from archaeological excavations of the Medmerry site during the reserve’s construction

The parish added: "The primary purpose of the reserve is to protect and preserve the local eco-system.

"The proposed sculpture does not align with this goal and could detract from the reserve’s intended purpose."

The art would form part of the Culture Spark Project – a creative partnership between the district council, Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery.

A design statement submitted with the application said: "Inspiration for the new sculpture derives from archaeological excavations of the Medmerry site during the reserve’s construction.

"Evidence was discovered of several Bronze Age round houses, burial grounds dating from 1100BC, and the remains of a medieval V-shaped 160m long fish weir, a wooden ‘kettle’ to funnel and trap fish at low tide using wicker-work fences.

"Littorina – periwinkle – shells were found in the remains of a medieval willow fish basket."

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