Who lives in a house like this? Damien Hirst has received the green light from Ilfracombe a North Devon local council to build 750 homes, a school, playgrounds, shops, offices and a health centre.
The project, which is backed by the artist and known as the Southern Extension, was put forward at a special meeting of the district council’s planning committee on 30 July. The decision by committee members followed fierce debate among councillors and members of the public over the effect the development would have on Ilfracombe.
Councillor Anne Thomas, who sits on the council’s planning committee, said: “The town’s population needs to increase to make the High Street sustainable.” She said Ilfracombe badly needed the new school outlined in the plans, adding: “The infant school is over-subscribed – it’s a fantastic school but it’s over-crowded,” a local paper reported.
Hirst is already known to the area, owns a restaurant and has loaned a massive bronze statue of a pregnant woman, named “Verity” to the seaside resort. The one observation we have at Artlyst is, why is the architecture so unadventurous and mundane? Perhaps this is just another reflection on the the man behind the development.