Locals liken bizarre '£47,000' art installation to Quidditch posts

Locals living in an upmarket housing development have been left baffled over a new art installation.

The arrangement of striped maypoles has been 'a waste of time and money' according to locals with people asking why the funds could not have been spent on fixing local roads or social projects such as helping the homeless. 

The artwork was installed on the Hatch Farm housing development in Eastleigh, Hants, where the detached houses sell for up to £450,000. 

Residents have also compared it to the Harry Potter Quidditch posts and the hill it sits on has been said to look like the set of the iconic children's TV show Teletubbies.

The artwork was paid for by the developers and cost £47,000 to make. It is comprised of poles with different symbols on top, leaf-shaped benches and grassy mounds said to be inspired by historic burial barrows. 

Administrative assistant Paula Philpott said the hill looked like 'Teletubby land' but the artwork itself 'wasn't much to look at'.

'It looks like Teletubby land, the art is not much to look at,' the 45 year old said.

'It is quite similar to the Quidditch hoops from Harry Potter

'We probably could have done without it, there are other ways the money could have been spent.

'It is part of the planning permission but they would have been better reducing the size of the hill and putting some parking in.

'It is fine, it is all very nice but it is a bit of a waste of money.

'I feel for the houses along the front, you can see right into their bedroom windows which isn't ideal.'

A public sector worker, who did not want to be named, a few houses along agreed it was a 'waste of money', and the 44 year old, suggested the funds could have helped the homeless instead.

He said: 'What a waste of money, I haven't seen anyone up there.

'The money could have been spent in a much better way, given it to the homeless, fixing the potholes on the roads.

'I did raise some concerns around the footfall and vehicles it might bring to the area when it was first proposed but the footfall has been minimal.

'My boys did say it looks like Harry Potter.

'I have only seen people use it twice, I have seen kids playing on it and I saw a car parked on the top of the hill to look at it.'

There are signs at the bottom of the hill asking people not to park on the grass.

The neighbour continued: 'People say it cost £70,000, they could have given £7,000 to me and I would have done it.'

Tony Hill, 60, said he liked the medieval influences but the installation was 'a bit random'.

The sales worker said: 'It started off as a large project and it got whittled down to a very small project, it is a bit pointless.

'The original plan struck me as a make-believe golf course with bunkers.

'I have been up and had a look, there is a bit of a medieval theme.

'It seems a bit random like a lot of public art you see these days.

'If you are into medieval history you can see it is jousting poles and medieval burial barrows.

'Someone's been employed somewhere along the line and that is all good, it has added a feature to a picnic area.'

Aviation engineer Greg Ross denounced the artwork as 'pagan' and said the area should be 'promoting nature' versus a 'man-made structure'.

'It is a waste of time and a waste of money,' said the 47 year old.

'It is not even natural elements, it is made of horrible materials.

'I am not a fan of any stuff to do with sorcery, it is pagan and not very Christian.

'It is just a grassy area, it should be promoting nature rather than horrible man-made structures.'

Motorway construction worker John Clements also joked he was expecting a Teletubbies themed sculpture because of the hill's design.

The 62 year old said: 'I haven't been up to have a look yet, it's been there for two or three weeks.

'We were the first people to move in and we nicknamed it 'Teletubby hill', we thought [the installation] would be models of the Teletubbies.'

School admin worker Vicky, who did not give her surname, said going to have a look at the artwork 'wasn't a priority' for her but she had heard 'good things'.

The 38 year old said: 'I have not been up there, my children have and they said it is lovely but I work three jobs so it is just not a priority.

'I have heard good things.'

Her seven year old daughter added: 'It is great, I like that it has got hills and benches.'

According to Eastleigh Borough Council, the installation was created by architecture and ideas studio CAN and artist Felicity Hammond to help create 'a community gathering space at the centre of Hatch Farm'.

They said: 'The artwork draws inspiration from historic barrows, and uses the motif of the maypole as the vertical axis connecting the earth to the more mystical realms of the universe.

'The seating in the artwork is shaped to the outlines of leaves...and the colours mirror the vast night sky.

'On top of each of the maypoles are astronomical symbols for the eight planets in our solar system.'

They added: 'We'll be putting a panel on the site soon with more information about the work, which is paid for from developers' contributions for public art within the Hatch Farm development.'