Woodstock could have a fitting tribute to the new Millennium - a monolith similar to that featured in Arthur C Clarke's famous novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Plans for the sculpture - which is to be built on a green traffic island at the junction between Oxford Road and High Street in Woodstock - are for a 2.5m high 1m wide stone slab. Woodstock's millennium sculpture would bear a strong resemblance to Clarke's monolith, which visits earth to enlighten human civilisation.
The sculpture, designed by Ducklington artist Alec Peever, who set out the Princess Diana Memorial Walk through the royal parks of London, will be decorated by carvings celebrating Woodstock's royal history and the Christian message of the second millennium. Outline planning permission has been given for the £20,000 scheme, which includes a raised bed for shrubs and seating. Previous designs included a single 4m column with a porcupine or crown on top.
Trevor Hendey, the chairman of Woodstock Millennium Association, said: "It's been very frustrating because it's in a conservation area. The planners are quite sensitive about what goes in there and wanted something simpler than what we were proposing, and I think the community will feel comfortable with the new designs."
Residents will have the chance to comment on the final design for the sculpture, which will be submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council for approval by June 14.
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