Planning inspectors are being asked to resolve a dispute over the site of a statue honouring South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela in London’s Trafalgar Square.
The Greater London Authority, on behalf of the Nelson Mandela statue fund, wanted the 2,8m bronze statue to stand on the north terrace of the British capital’s most popular piazza.
But its application was rejected by Westminster City Council, the local authority concerned, which said it would be more appropriate to put it outside the South African high commission, on the east of the square.
The dispute now has gone to the planning inspectorate, which will hold three days of hearings from September 27, officials said on Friday.
Mayor Ken Livingstone, who heads the Greater London Authority, said: ”Statues and monuments have historically reflected the times in which they are erected.”
”Westminster planning committee’s refusal to be reasonable about the proposal suggests they are out of touch with the modern world and the wishes of Londoners.”
A spokesperson for Westminster City Council said that erecting the statue on the north terrace ”would upset the aesthetic balance of the square, and we feel we would like to keep that space free”. – Sapa-AFP