Larne: SDLP objects to 'cheap and tacky' crown on roundabout

A large metal crown, installed on a County Antrim roundabout in honour of the Queen, has been described as "cheap and tacky" by a nationalist councillor.

The 26ft (8m) steel structure in Larne was commissioned to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

It was initially erected without prior planning permission but there are now plans to make it a permanent fixture.

SDLP Councillor Declan O'Loan objected, saying it was "like something that came out of a giant Christmas cracker".

Mr O'Loan denied that his objection was politically motivated and said he was opposing the latest planning application entirely on "aesthetics".

The structure is officially known as the Queen's Jubilee Crown but it has divided opinion, with some welcoming it as a tourist attraction while critics dubbed it "the Burger King mound".

Three years ago, Larne Borough Council used £13,000 of ratepayers' money to install the crown on the the Circular Road roundabout, initially on a temporary basis.

It applied for retrospective planning permission and in 2013, planners agreed that the structure could stay in place for two years, until 1 December 2015.

Larne Borough Council's successor, Mid and East Antrim Council, is now seeking permission to keep the crown in place as a permanent feature and its planning committee is due to consider the latest application on Thursday.

In a statement, Mr O'Loan said: "I want to make it clear that my view is not based on any political grounds. It is entirely based on my assessment of the crown in terms of design quality or aesthetics."

He described it as a "piece of kitsch" that was in "utterly poor taste".

"It is like something that came out of a giant Christmas cracker, intended to be discarded after the first laugh."

"I am a strong supporter of good public art, but this object does not come into that category. The application is for permanent approval, and that sets the bar for approval high," the SDLP councillor said.

However, Ulster Unionist Councillor Andy Wilson told the BBC's Talkback programme the crown was a "conversation starter in Larne".

"Some people like it, some people don't like it but it's certainly not a controversial issue."

Mr Wilson added that: "It seemed to be controversial for people who lived 20 and 30 miles away for some reason."

The UUP councillor told the programme he personally liked the artwork.

"It's not the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it's not Sydney Opera House, but I mean, what do you want in a roundabout in the middle of an industrial port town?"