Mermaid statue to grace Blackpool Promenade

The two-metre high painted bronze artwork is being funded using regeneration cash earmarked for public art.

Blackpool Council is seeking planning permission to position the statue on the pavement outside The Counting House pub opposite North Pier, based on designs drawn up by artist Laurence Payot.

The idea for the sculpture was first put forward in November last year and since then young people from the town, including fashion students have helped draft the proposals.

He said: “This is 100 per cent external grant funding provided to Blackpool Council to deliver this project.

“Ring-fenced funding allocated to public art within the project is covered by the Growth Deal funds only.”

It is hoped the artwork will be in place by next spring.

The council said a mermaid design had been chosen to represent Blackpool’s strong connections with the Irish Sea and to highlight conservation of the world’s oceans.

The spokesperson added: “The design has been developed from a community consultation led by the artist, Laurence Payot, engaging with young people, various community groups and local residents in the town.

“The statue will incorporate the beauty of the Irish Sea, its fauna and flora, and cold water coral reefs.

“Laurence also wants the statue to send out a message of hope for the endangered global aquatic environment.

“Blackpool Council has commissioned the project as part of the wider plans for the town centre regeneration.

“The public art will form part of the ongoing work taking place to update and modernise key streets in Blackpool.”

Coun Tony Williams, leader of the Conservative opposition group on Blackpool Council, said although the cost of the statue “is not being met by the council, £35,000 for a smallish statue seems to be expensive”.

He added: “I love traditional street art but wonder why the council chose a mermaid instead of something related to the town itself, residents would have probably liked to make suggestions.

“I’ve seen some strange sights on the Prom but so far no mermaids.”

The £7.84m Quality Corridors project began in 2017 to upgrade some of Blackpool’s key roads to make streets more welcoming and shops more vibrant.

Questions were raised by councillors in 2019 when £100,000 from the fund was used to plant 10 trees on Cookson Street.

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