Popular visitor attraction near Horsham wants permission to retain sculptures

A popular attraction near Horsham is seeking permission to retain a number of sculptures on its grounds.
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Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens in Lower Beeding has submitted an application for the permanent installation of sculptures, including the main feature, ‘Faith’.

Horsham District Council granted temporary permission, for the installation of ‘Faith’ last July.

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The opening of a spectacular sculpture park was delayed last year due to the pandemic. The exhibition – titled ‘The Walk of Life’ – had as its centrepiece ‘Faith’, a seven-metre-tall bronze sculpture placed upon a plinth. In total, the exhibition comprises the installation of more than sixty sculptures by renowned African sculptor, Anton Smit, within the 240-acre Grade I listed grounds.

'Faith' sculpture at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens'Faith' sculpture at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens
'Faith' sculpture at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens

According to the plans: “The Walk of Life is part of a programme that includes visual, music and performance events and festivals. It was established to engage visitors year-round, locally and internationally, beyond the gardens’ Spring and Summer seasonal appeal.

“It was highlighted that in addition to the approval for ‘Faith’ as a permanent feature, planning permission must be sought, retrospectively, for the other installations that form the remainder of the Walk of Life installation.”

The application argues the installation of the sculptures has been undertaken sensitively in keeping with the Grade I listed gardens.

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It describes how the estate and Walk of Life exhibition offers ‘contemporary art in a healthy environment, open to all and inclusive, with investment in nearly ten miles of reconstructed pathways for wheelchair access and complimentary buggy carts and drivers’.

To view the plans visit www.horsham.gov.uk/planning using code DC/22/1065.