WINCHESTER Cathedral has submitted a planning application to install a statue of Jane Austen in the cathedral grounds.
As previously reported, the cathedral has been planning to erect a statue of the famous author outside of No. 9, The Close to mark 250 years since her birth.
The statue has proven to be controversial, with an Austen expert warning that it could turn Winchester into “Disneyland on Itchen”, while Phil Howe, of Jane Austen Tours, wrote to the Chronicle accusing the cathedral of “cynical cultural misappropriation”.
Winchester Cathedral has now submitted a planning application for the statue to the city council.
READ MORE: 'Disneyland on Itchen' - Contrasting views shared on Jane Austen statue design
The application confirms that the statue, by sculptor Martin Jennings, will be constructed from brass and placed on the lawn in the Inner Close, outside No. 9.
The planning application says: “The sculpture is proposed to be set against the backdrop of the three-gabled stone building of No. 9, which was built as a canon housing in the 1660s.
“The location has been chosen specifically because of tranquil domestic setting, resonating with the recurring themes of family bonds and lives in Austen’s writing.
“More importantly, this location is along her funeral procession route and a path she would have taken during her lifetime when visiting her nephews in Winchester College or her friends living at the then number 12.”
The application says that the cathedral intends to “create a permanent legacy to commemorate Jane Austen’s contribution to English literature, and to mark her association with Winchester as an integral part of the city’s cultural and historical identity”.
It continued: “The statue would become a staging post for the tours given by City Guides, and the start of a new trail, beginning in the Close with the sculpture of one woman and ending with the statue of another, of Licoricia on Jewry Street.
“This Women of Winchester Trail is a mile long and takes 40 minutes to complete - a walk through some of the most beautiful part of the City, and past its main shops, cafes and restaurants. Its being only walkable also benefits the local environment.
SEE ALSO: Letter: 'Winchester need not follow Bath’s hijacking of the Jane Austen brand'
“Jennings’ piece would have three chief impacts on the heritage landscape of the City:
• It would draw many Austen devotees onto a City trail.
• It would route visitors from the Cathedral into Kingsgate Village; consequently, visitors would reach the High Street via Broadway and the Central Winchester Regeneration area, rather than joining it higher up at the Buttercross.
• It would bookend the trail between two of the principal visitor attractions of Winchester, the Cathedral and the Arc, leaving visitors near restaurants, the theatre and the station.”
The planning application can be viewed by visiting the Winchester City Council planning portal and searching using reference 24/01403/FUL.
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