Gateshead's Angel reigns supreme - for now

The Angel of the North under construction last year

A proposal to build what would have been the tallest structure in Britain has been rejected by council planners in north Wales.

Developers wanted to build a 25m-high sculpture, called Celebration, at the Broughton Shopping Park in Flintshire.

Designed by American artist Paul Von Ringelheim, it would have been five metres taller than the spectacular Angel Of The North sculpture, which towers over a motorway outside Gateshead.

Flintshire County Council's planning committee decided not to give the structure the go-ahead, but a spokesman said councillors were still agreed "in principle" that there should be a 25m-high structure in the park.

'Not of sufficient merit'

Von Ringelheim's sculpture was to be made from high-strength aluminium. It would have been pained in bright colours and have a flower-like object at the top, which would have been lit up at night.

Flintshire councillors took advice from the Royal Fine Art Commission before making their decision. It told the authority the sculpture was not of "sufficient merit to justify the great impact and prominence it would have".

The council is now planning a local or national competition to find a design which could be erected at the shopping park.

The Angel of the North, designed by Anthony Gormley, was unveiled in February 1998. It is seen by an estimated 90,000 people each day.

Twelve months ago, a group of football fans put a Newcastle United shirt on the body of the 56m-wide structure to honour the team's striker Alan Shearer.