Hopes to keep controversial Prince Philip statue

A fight has begun to keep a four-metre (13ft) bronze sculpture after calls were made for it to be removed.

In March this year, Cambridge City Council said the "Cambridge Don", situated outside Charter House in Hills Road, was installed without planning permission and ordered it to be taken down.

It is said to commemorate the late Prince Philip's 35 years as vice-chancellor at the University of Cambridge.

Property firm Unex has appealed against the enforcement notice and said it wanted permission to keep the sculpture where it is.

The city council said the £150,000 statue, which used to be located further south along Hills Road, needed to be permanently removed and the land it sat on should be restored, 10 years after it was refused planning permission.

In an enforcement notice the city council said: "The unauthorised development, by reason of its scale, height and prominent location, has a harmful material impact on the visual amenity of the wider townscape and the New Town and Glisson Road Conservation Area".

It added that there were no public benefits that would outweigh this and the sculpture did not fulfil the key requirements of delivering "successful and high-quality public art’"

An inquiry by the planning inspectorate to consider the Unex appeal will be heard at a later date.

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