Post by Kev on Sept 20, 2004 6:25:14 GMT -5
MORE than £130,000 is being spent on a four-month study to find out if a Statue of Liberty-style landmark should be built off Wirral's coast.
Regeneration officers want to create a giant monument in the Mersey to "symbolise the renaissance of the borough".
They hope it will rival iconic constructions such as the London Eye, Angel of the North and New York's most famous visitor attraction.
Now, more than three years since the idea was first mooted, officials at Mersey Waterfront Regional Park have put forward the bulk of the cash needed to find out if the ambitious plan could actually work.
On top of their £90,000, the council is putting forward £10,000 and the rest is made up from a mixture of private funding and Objective 1 cash.
The initial plans were for a design by local sculptor, Tom Murphy, of an 180ft-high statue of Poseidon - god of the sea.. It would include a causeway to make it accessible by tourists.
Mr Murphy, who is currently exhibiting work in the independent district, off Jamaica Street in the city centre as part of the Biennial, said: "There have been many false dawns with this project. I'm delighted things are moving forward.
"I have not been able to progress with my designs until this study is done because it is only then that potential problems will be revealed.
"I sincerely hope my design is eventually selected. It would be visible from Liverpool as well as Wirral and is about welcoming people from across the globe.
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Regeneration officers want to create a giant monument in the Mersey to "symbolise the renaissance of the borough".
They hope it will rival iconic constructions such as the London Eye, Angel of the North and New York's most famous visitor attraction.
Now, more than three years since the idea was first mooted, officials at Mersey Waterfront Regional Park have put forward the bulk of the cash needed to find out if the ambitious plan could actually work.
On top of their £90,000, the council is putting forward £10,000 and the rest is made up from a mixture of private funding and Objective 1 cash.
The initial plans were for a design by local sculptor, Tom Murphy, of an 180ft-high statue of Poseidon - god of the sea.. It would include a causeway to make it accessible by tourists.
Mr Murphy, who is currently exhibiting work in the independent district, off Jamaica Street in the city centre as part of the Biennial, said: "There have been many false dawns with this project. I'm delighted things are moving forward.
"I have not been able to progress with my designs until this study is done because it is only then that potential problems will be revealed.
"I sincerely hope my design is eventually selected. It would be visible from Liverpool as well as Wirral and is about welcoming people from across the globe.
>>More
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