A new piece of public artwork constructed in the middle of a Crewe roundabout has been deemed 'potentially unsafe' - several months into delayed construction work.

It has been surrounded by traffic cones for several weeks for no apparent reason, which made Crewe MP Dr Kieran Mullan contact the council.

The Crewe and Nantwich MP asked Cheshire East Council how a potentially unsafe structure has been built on the roundabout of Crewe Road and Jack Mills Way.

The public artwork, called a 'solar gazer,' has been funded by developer Goodman Logistics - which built the Jack Mills Way link road and Crewe Commercial Park.

The soar gazer was approved in its planning phase by Cheshire East Council in 2018.

It is meant to consist of 12 steel hollow sections, which represent the 12 months of the year.

Each steel section would reflect the position of the sun throughout the year. Throughout the day, the installed solar panels would collect solar energy.

At dusk, the sculpture would convert this energy into lighting features at the tips of the linear elements like stars.

Constructed by artist and engineer Soli Studios, so far only six steel sections have been built, several months into work on the site.

Local residents vented their frustrations at the unfinished structure to Nub News.

Lyn Hulse from Crewe stated: "This Looks awful. With or without the cones, it's an eyesore."

Another Crewe resident Tracey Merrick said: "What the hell do we need a sun dial on a roundabout for? Why not flowers like the rest of roundabouts."

There is wide concern that as the roundabout is a main gateway into the town centre, it creates a poor impression for residents and visitors coming into the town.

Dr Mullan has reported that Cheshire East Council responded to him saying that there are apparent safety concerns about the new structure that has been built on the roundabout.

He commented: "The roundabout is one of the main routes in and out of Crewe and for weeks now it has been littered with traffic cones with no explanation to the public.

"There has been no timeline and if it wasn't safe should not have been allowed in the first place. This is not good enough."

Whilst some of the traffic cones have now been removed, Dr Mullan has since contacted the council for further explanation on these safety issues and how it got built in the first place.

This month, Shavington-cum-Gresty Councillor David Marren, reported that the artwork was in 'delay' due to concerns over construction methodology, mainly regarding the use of cones on the roundabout to protect the workers on it.

The Willowbrook Grange housing development across from the artwork does not provide a safe walking route to Shavington High School.

A local resident who did not want to be named, questioned why funding from the developer hadn't been given for this instead: "It is disgraceful. Kids are having to walk into Shavington to get around the lack of footpath instead of the most direct route.

"Those that do walk the route through Gresty Lane put themselves at risk. It's a matter of time before someone gets knocked down."

Crewe Nub News has contacted Cheshire East Council for comment.

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