Madam,

Thanks to the decision of one, non-local man, the 10-metre-tall bronze sculpture of a tree - Davies’s Folly - will, barring something extraordinary, now be imposed on the beach between Borth and Ynyslas.

A space so deeply valued by so many of us for its wild, natural feeling will become the installation space of one artist - Robert Davies - who maintains that the function of art is to provoke.

The beautiful, extraordinary ancient forest on the beach will be dwarfed and dominated by an ostentatious ‘icon’ whose association with climate change is spurious - the submergence of the beach had nothing to do with global warming; in fact Davies’s Folly could be regarded as itself symbolising humankind’s destructively acquisitive attitude to nature - alas some people can’t just appreciate and respect the beauty of the natural world without imposing themselves upon it.

The quality of our lives will be affected in a particularly sensitive way.

While I respect people who expect to appreciate the sculpture, who believe that it will be safe and have a positive impact upon Borth, the disdain with which the strong feelings and serious concerns of objectors have been regarded by some has made me angry.

I would like to support any campaign to make the planning approval process for use of public land more democratic and less biased in favour of developers. I would also like to support communities elsewhere whose beautiful landscapes are threatened by conceited conceptual art.

I am, however, heartened by the good spirit and deep feelings of the many great local people who campaigned against Davies’s Folly (Mr Davies is a professional and we are amateurs in influencing such decisions). It is a typical challenge of these difficult times to create something positive from such feelings relating individuals to community and natural environment, despite political defeat.

Meanwhile, I recommend visiting Borth to savour the beauty of the beach and submerged forest before they are tragically violated.

Yours etc,

Dr Rychard Carrington, Cae Gwylan, Borth.

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