Leading artist Damien Hirst has turned to property development after submitting outline plans for a mixed use scheme to North Devon Council.
Hirst is one of the UKs most successful artists whose works, which include a pickled shark and a diamond encrusted skull, change hands for huge sums.
During London 2012, the Turner Prize winner was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern while, earlier this month, he hit the headlines after two of his frequently repeated spot paintings were stolen from a west London gallery.
The proposed development is in his adopted home of Ilfracombe where his 67 foot bronze statue, Verity (pictured), was erected on the seafront last year. Hirst already owns a shop and a restaurant in the town, but his latest investment is his biggest to date and will take 10 to 15 years to complete.
Initially described as an ‘eco village’ the development will deliver 750 residential properties along with business accommodation, workshops and retail space. There are also plans for healthcare facilities, a primary school, sports fields and community gardens.
The architects involved in the scheme, David Lock Associates, say that an environmental assessment points to the development being beneficial to the area’s economy and property market. In addition they believe it will provide a boost to expenditure in Ilfracombe town centre, while only having a negligible impact on traffic levels.
Ilfarcombe councillor Phillip Webb has welcomed the proposal, describing it as “exactly what Ilfracombe needs.” He continued to say that he is “very optimistic” that the development will go ahead as it is in line with the council’s strategy to “rebalance the demographic of the town.”
Public consultation closes this week and the application will go before North Devon Council’s planning committee early in the New Year.
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