 THE Iron Men are staying in Crosby. Sefton's planning committee approved plans to keep Antony Gormley’s Another Place at a special meeting in Bootle Town Hall last night (Wednesday). Councillors voted, by nine to five, to allow the statues to stay on Crosby beach permanently, subject to certain conditions. The decision comes just a few months after the same planning committee refused a four month extension to the original permission. The installation was due to move in November last year, but MP Claire Curtis-Thomas launched a bid to keep the work in Crosby due to the cultural and economic impact it had on the area. The extension, applied for by Another Place Ltd, which was set up to raise the funds needed to buy the artwork, was controversially rejected by the planning committee on health and safety grounds following objections from watersports enthusiasts, coastguards and conservationists. The new application was submitted with a number of alterations to address concerns about public safety and nature conservation, which the committee last night approved. Among the alterations is moving a number of statues from the north side of coastguard station and from bird-feeding areas. The overall area of the installation will also be reduced and there will be strict monitoring of wildlife and visitor numbers. Lewis Biggs, a director at Liverpool Biennial who spoke for Another Place Ltd during the meeting, said afterwards: "It has been a great deal of hard work and we are absolutely delighted with the outcome. "It's about lifting peoples' hopes and morale, which we don't believe would happen without this. "It really does change peoples' lives." Sculptor Antony Gormley was also at the meeting. He said: "It's a marvellous result and it's incredibly encouraging to think that so many people have been so positive about it. "This is not just for me and Crosby, it's also a signal that sometimes, art matters. "This is many, many people’s beach and I am not surprised at all that it has caused such a reaction, and I am delighted with the decision." • See Thursday’s Crosby Herald for full reports and reaction to the decision | 
Article
