A 9.5m-tall fake shark on a crazy golf course has triggered a rather unexpected row.
The feature, made of fibreglass, was installed at Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf last August and hangs from a gallows-like structure over one of the pirate-themed holes.
While the company applied for retrospective planning permission last month after the council got in touch, matters have now escalated, with objections arguing that the faux shark unfairly depicts the species as ‘criminals’.
The installation on the Brighton seafront course has been branded ‘ugly’, with a comment submitted on August 29 raging that ‘it is very offensive to have a marine animal being depicted as a criminal having been slaughtered for no reason’.
‘Sharks are a vital form of marine life and should be protected if we are to regain healthy seas which can help mend our planet,’ it adds.
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‘There is the most amazing story of our sea rewilding and returning huge amounts of different species, and it therefore feel compleatly inappropiate to have a symbol of slaughter and destruction in a children’s play area such as mini golf.’
The commenter claimed that ‘we need to educate our kids to protect and fight to preserve our wildernesses and seas’, not to ‘hunt and destroy such a vital species in our ecosystem’.
A heritage assessment, which is viewable online, notes that the shark is ‘clearly visible’ from the beach, Madeira Drive and Madeira Terrace.
But since the seafront is popular with visitors and has historically been used for recreational activities, such as golf, the decoration fits well with the area.
It reads: ‘The works are therefore considered to represent contemporary additions associated with the established recreational use of this part of Brighton’s lower seafront without detracting from the significance of the East Cliff Conservation Area or the setting and significance of nearby designated heritage assets.’
Plans also passed biodiversity checks, which determined that, because the shark structure has been added within an existing site, it poses no substantial impact on the environment.
Brighton & Hove City Council will decide on the application at a later date.
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