Green light given for Sikh war memorial in Derby

The memorial will be built next to the National Sikh Heritage Centre in Pear Tree

Plans to build a Sikh war memorial in the centre of Derby have been given the go-ahead.

Derby City Council has granted planning permission for the National Sikh Holocaust and Shaheedi Memorial to be built in Pear Tree.

The 25ft (7.62m) high stone structure will pay tribute to millions of Sikhs killed in the two world wars and six holocausts in India and Pakistan.

Donations from Sikhs worldwide have helped fund the £125,000 project.

Construction will begin at a site next to the National Sikh Heritage Centre on Princes Street later this spring and should be complete early next year.

Gurpal Singh, who is helping to co-ordinate the project, said: "This will mean an awful lot to the Sikh community.

"Nothing like this has ever been built - not just in England but in the world.

"If we don't remember our history, there probably won't be a future."