Controversial £1.3million sculpture project for Bangor given planning permission

Installation for all the sculptures is planned for Autumn 2026.

A CGI artist’s image of one of the Bangor sculptures – The Dove

A controversial £1.3million sculpture project for Bangor has been given the green light by the local council.

Two applications were unanimously approved by elected members at the February meeting of the Ards and North Down Borough Council Planning Committee, held this week.

Both involved the erection of art installations “with associated lighting and site works within the proposed public realm associated with Queen’s Parade redevelopment.” The applicant in both cases was Ards and North Down Borough Council.

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The first, called “The Dove” will have hands positioned to produce a dove shaped shadow onto the ground, creating a focal point at the Marine Gardens. The second, called “The Swan” will be to the west of the existing Queens Parade car park, and will feature a hands sculpture positioned to produce a swan shaped shadow onto an adjacent wall.

A third, called “The Crab” will be on the Eisenhower Pier, it again will be a sculpture of hands, this time producing a crab shaped shadow. It has yet to appear before the Planning Committee.

The trio of sculptures are named “Eclipse.” The council says the sculptures are “intended to symbolise peace, resilience, and Bangor’s journey of renewal, celebrating grace and community and honouring Bangor’s coastal heritage.”

The proposed hand sculptures, if approved, will be the largest bronze sculptures on the island of Ireland, with a height of six metres. The council has advised that production of the sculptures is already underway, with installation planned for Autumn 2026.

A council officer states in the planning applications: “The intention of the spaced-out sculptures is to attract visitors to explore the newly-developed Marine Gardens once completed. Information panels will contain QR codes, which will open websites giving information on the artworks and the history of the area.”

The report adds: “The surface material will be an “almost white” exposed aggregate concrete, which will facilitate maintenance and be robust. The surface will have an anti-graffiti application, to further aid ongoing maintenance.”

Last September DUP councillors came out against the sculpture project. Some party members voted against the council funding the three major art sculptures for the waterfront area, at committee level.

The sculptures are by renowned local artist Colin Davidson. Davidson, who lives in the Bangor area, is perhaps Northern Ireland’s most famous artist currently working, and is known for portraits of public figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a recent sculpture of George Mitchell which stands in front of the Queen’s University Lanyon Building.

This week the Mitchell sculpture was removed from the Queen’s University site due to the former senator’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations from the victim Virginia Giuffre.

Last summer, Bangor residents claimed they had been blanked by the authorities, including Stormont and Ards and North Down Borough Council, when they asked questions about the costs for the three sculptures involved in the project, and how they were commissioned.

There was no public tendering or competitive process for the project, as is the norm for public procurement. Residents from the Ards and North Down Resident’s Voice group said that while they had no issue with the artist, they felt accountability had been jettisoned by the public bodies, who had failed to provide a competitive process for the award.

Ards and North Down Borough Council said that “in discussion with the principal funder, the Department for Communities, the council decided to commission Colin Davidson via direct award.” The Department for Communities said that “the procurement route taken by the council was in compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.”

According to DfC, the total cost of the Bangor installations is estimated to be in the region of £1.287 million, of which DfC will contribute £1.05 million. The remainder of the funding, over £200,000, will be provided by the council. The “Rise” installation in Belfast, otherwise known as “The Balls on the Falls” went to competitive public tender in 2008. It cost less than half the Davidson project, at £486,000.

Regarding the application for “The Dove,” no neighbouring properties were notified of the proposal due to the site’s distance from any neighbouring buildings. The council received no representations from locals, and all the statutory consultees offered no objections.

Regarding the application for “The Swan,” the council received five letters of objections from four addresses, and again the statutory consultees offered no objections.

Objectors raised concerns of antisocial behaviour, specifically that the new feature could increase late-night congregation and loitering, and concerns about the cost of the sculptures and the decision-making process in terms of design. Some said the artwork should have gone to tender and should not have just been commissioned to one artist.

Others said clarification was required on the lighting beam direction, intensity and operating hours and insisted upon an assessment of light spill into neighbouring properties. Some said the scale of the sculpture was excessive given its proximity to residential properties, and said the sculpture would devalue the price of nearby residential property.

DUP Councillor Alistair Cathcart said at the committee meeting: “It is appropriate to note that this is a Planning Committee. We are making decisions on the planning application themselves, and not on the wider discussion of value for money, and our opinions of the said sculptures.

“I hope that once it is on the ground that I will like it, but we will see what happens.”

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