City's interactive tower sculpture gets go-ahead

Plans for a 49ft (15m) high interactive tower in Bradford city centre which will play soundscapes featuring voices in different languages have been approved.

The Tower of Now sculpture, which will be constructed in a new "pocket park" on Hall Ings, would become a "public attraction", planners said.

The ornate structure, designed by artist Saad Qureshi, would be installed early in 2025 as part of Bradford's City of Culture celebrations, councillors were told.

The planning application for the artwork, which has been given the go-ahead by Bradford Council, said the tower would celebrate the "diverse fabric of the city".

A condition of approval by the authority was that the tower would need to be removed from the site by March 2026.

The sculpture, to be built on the site of the former NCP car park in the city centre, was commissioned by Bradford City of Culture, the organisation behind the year-long celebration which gets under way in January.

The application said the sculpture would be based in the park from February 2025 to March 2026, and would explore "British identity within the diverse fabric of the city", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It added: "With the inclusion of soundscapes in the mother tongues of local residents, the tower is a testament to the richness of cultural exchange."

Five people had objected to the proposals, with one saying the planned sculpture "does not represent inclusivity", while another described it as "an eyesore".

A further objector said the artwork was "not inclusive, nor a representation of Bradford and its history or what we want for the City of Culture", while another suggested the public should have been consulted on the plans.

Referring to these objections, planners said: "As the sculpture is a piece of public artwork, its design and appearance, like any form of art, is subjective – with taste in art being a subjective matter.

"The design of the proposed development is considered appropriate in the context of this part of the city centre."

Criticism of the design by the five objectors was "not a material planning matter", they added.

Meanwhile, officers pointed out that members of the public were able to have their say on the planning application.

Approving the plans, officers said: "The sculpture will provide artwork to the proposed pocket park, adding some visual interest to the built environment and will form a public attraction."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.