Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
Pictured Is Work On The Sculpture Of A Prehistoric Dragonfly To Be Located At A Roundabout Near The Town Of Bolsover. Courtesy Of Bolsover District Council.
Derbyshire school students have helped forge a symbolic, eye-catching sculpture of a prehistoric Dragonfly which is set to be a roundabout centrepiece marking the gateway to a treasured market town.
Bolsover District Council’s planning committee approved permission during a meeting on June 10 for the council-backed project to put up the metal sculpture on the roundabout off Intake Road, Riverside Way and Chesterfield Road, at a key gateway route in and out of the town of Bolsover.
The sculpture is the result of a joint Fusion Learning collaboration project with students from schools in the area who took part in a 20-week programme to learn metal cutting, design, and welding and the council has now successfully applied for planning permission to locate the sculpture.
Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Donna Hales, told the meeting: “It relates to a Dragonfly that was found in Bolsover pit years ago and its fossilised remains are in London.
“Many people have a significant view that it represents the town and some of the miners who found the Dragonfly.
“It’s something we have got in our heritage and the young people who did the work were really committed and it was an excellent programme – just talking about the whole process, and looking at employment and welding, and it has made a difference to those young people.”
The sculpture, which will be sited on the roundabout north of Carr Vale Nature Reserve, represents a prehistoric Dragonfly fossil dating back over an estimated 300 million years that was found by miners at Bolsover Colliery in the 1970s and dates back to the Carboniferous period and which is on display at the Natural History Museum in London.
It has become a symbol for the region and was also adopted as a namesake for a development company, Dragonfly Development Ltd, which completed successful construction projects for the council before it was recently dissolved by the council and taken back in-house after long-running debates over concerns about governance and conflicts of interest despite profits.
The council considered the potential impact of the proposed sculpture upon important heritage assets in the area including the wider setting of Bolsover Castle, Bolsover Conservation Area, and the New Bolsover Model Village and agreed to reduce the new landmark’s height from 3.5 metres to 2.8 metres.
Bolsover District Council’s Heritage Conservation Manager confirmed there is no objection to the application and that on balance there would be no impact on the wider setting and significance of the designated heritage assets.
Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority also confirmed the placement of the sculpture will not have an unacceptable impact on highway safety as long as it is constructed to required standards.
Bolsover District Council development manager Chris Whitmore told the meeting: “In design terms we feel it will enhance the design of the island and enhance the approach to the town.”
Cllr Duncan McGregor described the project as ‘excellent’ and said he supported the plan ‘whole-heartedly’ and Cllr Steve Fritchley described the sculpture as ‘wonderful’.
The council’s planning committee voted unanimously to approve the authority’s plans to erect the sculpture subject to conditions including complying with approved drawings, documents, dimensions and an agreed reduced support post.
