Local taxpayers will not pick up the tab from ill-fated efforts to spruce up Redcar High Street, according to a council leader.
Concrete planters installed on the pedestrian section of the thoroughfare which showed signs of cracking are to be removed over the coming weeks, Alec Brown said.
The planters, which have seating at their base and include etchings which reflect Redcar’s association with Samuel Plimsoll, were erected earlier this year and intended to enhance the look and feel of the town centre.
But they immediately attracted criticism with independent councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd likening them in a tongue-in-cheek video to “ram raid protection units”, while Facebook users variously described the structures as “Soviet-era” style, “an eyesore” and “cold, hard and overbearing”.
One of the planters, which are accompanied by benches, and right a visible crack. Picture/credit: Facebook. Free for use for all LDRS partners.
Things took a turn for the worse when visible cracks appeared on their exterior, which led to a temporary engineering fix known as a ratchet leash being wrapped around several of the blocks in order to keep them stable amid health and safety fears.
The planters were commissioned after a public consultation by the Redcar Town Deal board, which has been overseeing £20m worth of Government investment in the town.
Funds totalling £77,000 had been allocated towards them, but payment was withheld to the contractor as part of a standard snagging process, while the council also conducted its own independent structural survey to establish another opinion.
Cllr Brown has been at pains to stress he was not involved in the choice of the planters and said the decision making occurred before he joined the board in 2023.
In a statement, he said: “The decision to require the removal of the planters has been taken because they have been identified as defective and cannot remain in place.
“Public safety is our priority and it is important that the issue is resolved properly through the contractual process.
“The council’s contract is with the contractor responsible for delivering the installation of the planters.
Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council. Picture credit: Alec Brown/Facebook.
“Once the defects were identified, payment for the planters was withheld and no council or Redcar Town Deal funding was paid for them.
“As a result, there has been no loss to council taxpayers or to the Redcar Town Deal.
“We have asked the contractor to provide a timetable and arrangements for the safe removal of the planters over the coming weeks, and the council is currently actively working with the contractor to make progress with this.
“Once the defective planters have been removed, residents will be given the opportunity to have their say on replacement planters for the High Street.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding shown by residents while this issue is resolved and the necessary work is carried out safely.”
In a Facebook post, Cllr Brown said the aim was for something “smaller and more visually appealing” as a replacement and there would be “three or four choices” for the public to choose from.
More than one person in reply suggested inspiration could be taken from existing planters at the Teesside Park shopping complex near Stockton.
But Cllr Brown replied: “There does not have the ASB (anti-social behaviour) issues like we do.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked how the contractor would have been able to pay its own staff without money exchanging hands.
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A council spokeswoman responded that “questions regarding costs incurred by the contractor or manufacturer, including their arrangements with employees and their supply chain, are matters for those businesses”.
Coatham ward councillor Carl Quartermain previously said: “The strength of feeling locally in Coatham from residents and businesses is very clear – they want rid of them.”
The council cabinet member also said the issues identified “are not isolated faults, but stem from a wider design and manufacturing defect affecting multiple planters”.