A planning application has come forward for the installation of a statue of the late Queen in Newcastle town centre.

Newcastle Borough Council announced last year that it was commissioning a bronze statue of Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 after a 70-year reign.

She was the longest-reigning English monarch at the time of her death, aged 96. Almost two years since her passing, an application has come forward to place a new commemorative statue in Queens Gardens.

The £85,000 statue, which is set to be more than 2m tall, was commissioned by the council as part of Newcastle's 850th anniversary celebrations. It is being created by internationally-renowned sculptor Andrew Edwards, who hails from the Potteries.

Newcastle Borough Council is commissioning the bronze statue (Image via planning application).

A heritage asset statement submitted as part of the application said: "The new commemorative statue is proposed to be placed within the existing Queens Gardens at the junction of Barracks Road and Iron Market. The gardens sit within the Newcastle conservation area and already accommodate a statue of Queen Victoria, placed in 1901, and is set out in formal garden style with flower beds and benches.

"It is proposed to site the statue on the site of an existing bench in the middle of the gardens, to set the statue in its own environment whilst being part of the garden, neither overshadowing or being overshadowed by the existing Queen Victoria statue. It is planned to be sited a decent distance from the Castle House council building, but also within the visual aspect of the existing band stand adjacent to the Registry Office, and will add to the cultural offer within the gardens.

"The gardens themselves are of significant historical importance to the town as they have been the formal gardens of the town for a very long period and to this day hold events of a significant nature, most notably the VE Day Lantern lighting ceremony (and) the entrance to the late Queens Book of Condolence where residents of the borough were able to sign the book itself (and) also leave floral tributes. This new cultural asset will attract national, and maybe wider, attention and will add to the cultural offer of the borough and hopefully the tourism offer."

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