WWI Nottingham memorial plans 'utterly unnecessary'
- Published
The monument is part of the 100 year centenary commemorations of World War One
Plans for a World War One memorial have been called "utterly unnecessary".
A circular design for the site, which will list the names of 14,000 people, by the River Trent has been unveiled Nottingham City Council.
However, a Friends of Victoria Embankment tweet said it will ruin Grade II ornamental memorial gardens and added that the soldiers' names are already recorded throughout the county.
The council said it was respectful to bring the names of the fallen together.
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The plan is to build the design, which was picked from a shortlist of three, in the Memorial Gardens on Nottingham's Victoria Embankment.
Local campaigner Jonathan Hughes said: "The names of these precious souls which gave their lives in this way are recorded throughout the city and county already."
He added that rather than spending money on this new project, there are existing memorials around the county which need attention and repair.
The gates to Victoria Embankment's memorial gardens, which are already dedicated to the men who fell in World War One
Mr Hughes said the memorial gardens on the Victoria Embankment should be "left intact as a place of beauty rather than changing them and imposing a huge edifice".
He added he would like to see QR codes on each bench in the memorial gardens pointing visitors to an online memorial, external.
The memorial will be lit at night and a 5m (16ft) high monument in the middle will explain the purpose of the memorial, with space lower down for poppies
The memorial is being commissioned by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, working with the seven district and borough councils, Gedling, Rushcliffe, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw, Ashfield, Broxtowe and Mansfield.
A total of £50,000 still needs to be raised for the project. Local businesses and Nottinghamshire residents are being encouraged to contribute.
Nottingham City Council said: "The online roll of honour shows that some of the 600+ memorials across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are missing names or inaccurate.
"It is right and respectful to bring all 14,000 names of the fallen together in one place to demonstrate the magnitude of their commitment and sacrifice during the First World War."
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- Published23 June 2018
- Published29 August 2017
