A stag will be erected at the end closest to St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, while a sculpture known as Flight Trace will be put up at the other end, near Monks Wood.
The planned stag sculpture which will go up in Stevenage’s Fairlands Valley Park. (Image: Tom Hill/Stevenage Borough Council)
Flight Trace, by artist James Fox, will be “derived from bird flight path data” to create a wave that will be suspended atop stainless steel poles.
Around four metres long and two-and-a-half metres tall, planning documents said it will include 380 stainless steel pieces that will “reflect sky and landscape, visually integrating the work into its surroundings across changing light and seasons”.
Permission for the sculpture was granted by Stevenage Borough Council’s planning committee at a meeting on June 30.
One committee member, Cllr Peter Clark, described the sculpture as “a squiggly thing” and an “abstract” work of art.
The other sculpture, by artist Tom Hill, features a stag, an animal that is “deeply rooted in Hertfordshire’s history and culture”, according to planning documents.
The planned Flight Trace sculpture which will go up in Stevenage’s Fairlands Valley Park.
A stag also features in Stevenage’s coat of arms and Stevenage Football Club’s badge.
The sculpture, which will reach a height of four-and-a-half metres, was described as “wonderful” by committee member Cllr Julie Ashley-Wren, who added: “The inclusion of leaves above the antlers is really perfect for the setting.”
Another committee member, Cllr Jackie Hollywell said she had concerns about people “climbing” on the sculpture, but joined colleagues in unanimously voting to grant planning permission for the artwork.
“We all struggle with day-to-day life but there’s things that make you happy and improve life … things like public art and art generally,” Cllr Hollywell said.
It is hoped that both sculptures will be in place by the end of August.
They are part of a series of four artworks commissioned as part of the Stevenage Arts & Heritage Trail programme.
The artworks are entirely funded by a grant from the government’s Towns Fund, with each artwork costing a total of £40,000.
The other two artworks in the series are The Sleeping Legionary at Fairlands Valley, which has received planning permission, and Space Age Musical Pavilion at King George V playing fields, which is awaiting a planning decision.