Bomber Command memorial: Spire approved by council

The aircrew names will be put on walls at the base of the spire

Plans for a spire at an RAF Bomber Command memorial in Lincolnshire have been approved.

North Kesteven District Council unanimously passed the planning application for the 31m (102ft) steel spire at Canwick Hill.

The memorial to the Bomber Command crews who flew during Second World War will include an interpretation centre.

The spire was reduced from 50m (164ft) after it was decided to place the airmen's names along the base.

'Wonderful' thing

Work on the £5m memorial is expected to be completed in June 2015.

Cllr Geoffrey Whittle, a veteran of Bomber Command, described the memorial as "a wonderful thing".

The names of the airmen from Bomber Command will be engraved at the bottom of the spire at ground level.

It is hoped that eventually the names of all 55,573 personnel who died in World War Two can be included.

The height of the spire is the equivalent of the wingspan of a Lancaster bomber.

Canwick Hill, within sight of Lincoln Cathedral, was once a landmark for crews returning from missions.