Newcastle's Northumberland and Pilgrim streets to get 49ft-tall pillars

Planning permission has been granted for the pillars, which will be public art by day and street lights at night

Plans to erect 15m (49ft) tall "iconic" pillars along two Newcastle city centre streets have been unveiled.

Newcastle City Council said the 11 sculptures earmarked for Northumberland and Pilgrim streets were inspired by the wooden guide poles across the causeway to Holy Island.

Planning permission has been granted for the pillars, which will be public art by day and street lights at night.

The council said the project was part of a £50m city centre revamp.

The pillars will be decorated with medieval patterns and copper etchings by local artists, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A council spokesman said: "Northumberland Street and Pilgrim Street formed part of the route through medieval Britain for Pilgrims and travellers journeying to Lindisfarne, with safe passage across the causeway to Holy Island guided by tall timber poles.

"The sculptural lighting masts are a reference to those timber poles, symbolising safe passage, journey and direction along Northumberland Street, and acting as markers at the junctions of Northumberland Street and its side streets."

Two masts at the junction of Northumberland Street and Blackett Street will be a few metres shorter than the others, following concerns from the Newcastle Conservation Advisory Panel that they could compete with views of Grey's Monument.

In its planning application, the council said the city centre had suffered from a lack of investment in its public spaces over recent years and had become "degraded and cluttered".

Work on the project is due to begin in the spring.