A 26ft tall statue close to the A12 in Suffolk will now be lit up at night after plans were approved despite initial concerns the sight could be a 'potentially hazardous distraction' for drivers.

The so-called 'Yoxman' sculpture stands 100m away from the A12 at Yoxford and has become something of a tourist attraction since being installed by Suffolk artist Laurence Edwards in November 2021.

The artist intends to light the front of the statue, facing the A12, at night, but East Suffolk Council planning officers were concerned about the impact of introducing artificial light to the natural parkland and the setting of the Grade I-listed Cockfield Hall.

READ MORE: Yoxford A12 Yoxman: Plans to light up Suffolk statue

Meanwhile, consultee Yoxford Parish Council feared the statue could dazzle passing A12 traffic, and the lighting could be a nuisance to residents living close by.

However, Mr Edwards submitted further information to East Suffolk Council about the nature of the lighting, which aimed to give the Yoxman a 'glowing' appearance and would be more subtle and unobtrusive in the natural setting.

READ MORE: The Yoxman statue on the A12 at Yoxford in Suffolk explained

In a statement supporting the application by Wilderness Reserve Suffolk Ltd, the artist said he wanted to give the impression that the statue had 'absorbed heat and light during the day and was slowly emitting it in the early evening'.

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A 'nuanced light' would be used to achieve this effect, which could be 'focused and fine-tuned in terms of colour, temperature, range, shape, timing and intensity'.

Subsequently, the parish council voted to support the application with the conditions that the lights were turned on after dark and were on a progressive dim which turned off at 11pm.

East Suffolk Council approved the plans on Friday.

In a report, planning officer Iain Robertson said: "Based on the additional information provided it is considered that the proposals would not interfere with the darkness of the surrounding 'natural' parkland at night or harm the significance of the listed buildings, by negative change to their setting over that shown to be caused in the documents supplied or the character and appearance of the Conservation Area."

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