Bid to move proposed Spitfire monument's location in Mayflower Park

Those behind the £6m plans now want to build the 40-metre-tall monument further away from the water’s edge in Mayflower Park so it is not held back by delayed waterfront development plans.

The National Spitfire Project has submitted fresh plans to Southampton City Council.

Trustees are hoping to move forward with the construction without having to wait for further redevelopment of Mayflower Park.

Royston Smith, former MP for Southampton Itchen, is a trustee of the project.

He told the Echo: “We have put in a fresh application to modify where the base of the monument will go.

“It is not a significant change and doesn’t impact the structure of the monument itself.

“It will allow the Southampton Boat Show to keep all of their temporary pontoons and ensure the monument is delivered more quickly.”

He added: “We are hoping the city council will look favourably on the new application but in any event, we still have our existing approval so this will not slow down the progress of the project.”

The design of the monument has previously been approved. It's hoped the it will be finished in time for the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2025.

The Spitfire played a key role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi air forces in 1940.

Former Southampton Itchen MP, Royston Smith

READ MORE: This is how Southampton's Tebourba Way got its name

Southampton-born Prime Minister Rishi Sunak threw his support behind the project at an event centred around the plans inside 10 Downing Street in November last year.

When he was Chancellor in 2020, Mr Sunak pledged to fund half of the project’s £6m price tag with government money should organisers raise the other £3m.

With a wingspan of over 16 metres and one and a half times the size of the actual aircraft, the future tourist attraction is expected to be viewed by more than seven million people each year.

Southampton City Council is set to contribute £350,000 to the project.