PRESTON Borough Council has come up with a novel way to improve life on two of Preston's worst estates - build a statue!

Councillors have approved a scheme to create a 1.7 metre 'timeflow sculpture' in Grange Park, between the Moor Nook and Grange estates.

The statue is part of a programme undertaken by the council to upgrade the park and boost the quality of life for residents.

The artwork flows from its high tip to a point three metres away, and is intended to reflect the history of the area.

But residents said there were much better ways for the cash to be spent.

Richard Foster, from Moor Nook, said: "This area has a massive crime problem and needs money to improve it. The shopping precinct is a mess and houses need improving. Surely there are other ways of improving things."

Mother-of-two Michelle Brooke added: "It will only get vandalised and then the area will look worse than ever before."

A report to Preston Borough Council's leisure services committee said the public were behind the plan because they had been consulted by the firm behind the scheme, Yorkshire-based Chrysalis Arts Ltd.

Councillors generally expressed support for the scheme, although they also raised fears that the artwork may encourage vandalism and its shape may attract skateboarders to use it.

However, a series of metal studs are to be included in the design to keep the skaters at bay.

The money for the scheme has come from the Grange Park Restoration scheme and Lancashire County Council's Public Art Fund.

A Preston Borough Council spokesman said: "We hope the artwork will complement phase one of the refurbishment project on Grange park, which involved installing new gates.

"It is a great design and is intended to improve the quality of life for local residents."

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