Thatcher statue to go ahead despite concerns over vandalism threat
PLANS FOR a statue of the “divisive figure” of Margaret Thatcher to be erected in her home town have been approved despite vandalism concerns.
A planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £30,000 statue, which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.
The statue is set to stand on a 10ft-high granite plinth due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement...who may be committed to public activism”.
The monument will be located at St Peter’s Hill in Baroness Thatcher’s home town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, a place those in favour of the application said she had put into the “worldwide consciousness”.
Lincolnshire Police said officers did not oppose the application, but urged the committee to be cautious around the security of the statue.
Fears about the statue being vandalised were at the forefront of some of the councillors’ minds, with one suggesting it would be better place “in the middle of a pond” to stop people climbing it.
South Kesteven District Council chose to dismiss objections from the public, which included the potential for crime and disorder and Mrs Thatcher’s “divisive” policies, as well as public cost implications.
Currently, the only marking of Baroness Thatcher in the town is a plaque on the corner of North Parade and Broad Street to show where she was born.
The monument, standing just over 20ft high, will be situated in between the two existing statues in the area of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache.