Retention permission refused for Moynalty sculpture

Planning permission for the retention of the stainless steel sculpture erected in the centre of Moynalty village to celebrate its historic National Tidy Towns win in 2013 has been refused by Meath County Council.
The sculpture was erected outside the 19th century former Church of Ireland, which now houses the local credit union, in the wake of the village’s victory but it had no planning permission.
The county council had already decided that the sculpture, by virtue of its design and prominent siting at the centre of the village adjacent to a protected structure, was “injurious to visual amenities” at the location and must come down.
Since its erection, the sculpture has remained a point of controversy in the village. The council is adamant it must be removed because it contravenes heritage policy in the county development plan.
When it received notification of the council’s decision in August that planning approval for retention would be required and was asked for further information, the Moynalty Tidy Towns committee told the council that its members did not appreciate that the erection of the sculpture was not regarded as “exempted development” and expressed the grave concern of the local community that “minor items”, ranging from wicker figures to seats to floral displays, might also fall into the same category as the Tidy towns sculpture, which had been unveiled by President Michael D Higgins.
The TT committee said it wished to comply with all legal requirements and apologised for the breach of planning laws.
“Moynalty Tidy Towns wish to extend our apologies too to each and any member of the community, who feel they were not adequately consulted in relation to the development and we thank those members of the community who have offered their views by way of submissions on the application for retention permission,” the committee said.
The group went on to say it felt the term “trophy replica” misrepresented what was, in fact, a sculpture of considerable artistic value and merit.
They also “respectfully disagreed” with the views expressed that the sculpture is of no aesthetic or artistic merit. “It is much more than a piece of stainless steel, or indeed a 'trophy’. There are higher qualities to life in Moynalty that we value and wish to protect and pass on to the next generation,” the TT group added.
Despite the council’s views on the suitability of the site, the TT committee said it had considered alternative locations for the sculpture but other areas, which were not in the core area of the village, would pose a security problem as the sculpture could be removed by thieves.
As an alternative to the removal of the sculpture, the committee offered to have it 'electro-coated’ in dark bronze.
Attempts to contact a spokesperson for Moynalty Tidy Towns committee this week were unsuccessful.