CIVIC chiefs have given their support to plans for a monument of the Spitfire in Mayflower Park.

At a Southampton City Council meeting on Wednesday, councillors put forward their strategic support for the project which is estimated to cost £5.5m.

Based in Mayflower Park, the project has been the subject of conversations for years after being given planning permission back in 2014.

The monument is aimed at recognising those who designed, built and flew the Spitfire in World War II and is said to heighten the significance of the city's heritage both nationally and internationally.

At the meeting, opposition councillors raised concerns around a lack of information about the project and how much it was going to cost.

But leader of the council, Cllr Fitzhenry said: "From our point of view, we are exploring what the options are.

"[The project] is complicated because there are multiple landowners. We do believe we can get this to work.

"This is part of our plans to get the city moving."

The council leader added that there are no plans to have the monument anywhere else in the city apart from Mayflower Park and that the council intends to "get moving on the project".

The project will involve a "major transformation" of the city park and is set to be delivered by the National Spitfire Project Charity (NSPC).

The charity says: "The monument will stand as a tribute to the true ‘Spirit of the Spitfire.’

"This is celebrated in the engineering prowess of its designer, RJ Mitchell, to the hard work and dedication of the men and women who built the aircraft at the Woolston Supermarine factory and finally to those who flew and operated the aircraft in the RAF, Royal Navy and around the world.”