Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring a full public consultation before public artwork can be installed.

Any large outdoor public artwork, such as a sculpture or statue, which is installed on a permanent or long term temporary basis is likely to require planning permission. Public consultation will be required as part of the planning application process. Local planning authorities also have a range of enforcement powers available to them to address the instalment of public artworks which do not have planning permission.