CONTROVERSIAL plans to place a metal elephant statue on a town centre roundabout are set to be approved.
In December it was revealed £200,000 would be spent on put the “wayfinding” sculpture on the Albert roundabout at Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, and for new lighting, landscaping and improved CCTV from Colchester Station.
Colchester Council, Essex County Council and Greater Anglia joined together for the scheme.
But the proposal has divided opinion and while there was praise for the move for better lighting and CCTV, many were less impressed at the spending on the sculpture.
Colchester’s Conservative MP Will Quince described it as “a joke” but council bosses defended the move saying it was part of a long term project to make the area safer.
READ MORE: Council defend elephant statue bid
Now planning officers at Colchester Council have recommended the statue and associated works be approved.
The elephant, which will be 7.8m high, was chosen as tales suggest Emperor Claudius’s arrived in Colchester with a herd of elephants after the Roman invasion in 43 AD.
If approved it will be constructed using 26 individually-designed pieces.
Walkers will see the pieces merge to form the shape of an elephant as they walk towards the town centre.
In total, there were 12 objections lodged with the council.
A report, set to go before councillors, said: “The sculpture according, to design and access statement submitted by the applicant, was designed to deliver a significant impact on the surrounding area.
“The perspective sculpture is designed not only to create interest but to offer human interaction in visualising the form and the proposal has been inspired by the idea of rotating a profile 360 degrees.
“The elephant motif which the design is based on is also seen at the railway station.”
READ MORE: Elephant statue plan is unveiled
The report added the weathered steel finish is common to other elements of the Fixing the Link route between the station and the town.
The report to be considered by councillors said the plan would not result in “any detriment to highway safety” and said it was “considered acceptable from a visual amenity point of view”.
The committee meeting takes place next Thursday at 6pm at the town hall.
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