Take-off for Lancaster Bomber sculpture project

​Plans have been backed for a full-size Lancaster Bomber sculpture next to the A46.

The art installation, on land at Brills Farm, near Norton Disney, has been described as Lincolnshire’s answer to the Angel Of The North and a gateway to the county.

The 26-metre long sculpture will be mounted on a steel frame to give the impression that it is in flight.

The Bomber County Gateway Trust is hoping to complete the project this year — the 100th anniversary of the RAF.

The area is known as bomber county because of the number of military airfields there during the second world war.

Members of North Kesteven District Council planning sub-committee gave the go-ahead for the plan. A total of 57 people wrote to the council in support of the project.

No carpark would be created, but there could be a viewing area.

Guided tours for school children or other interested people are planned.

The area is home to several Lancaster crash sites and one of the owners of Brills Farm, Sophie White, has a direct descendant who was pivotal in establishing the RAF — her great-great-grandfather, Frank Hedges Butler, who formed the Aero Club in 1901 with Charles Rolls, of Rolls Royce fame.

The Aero Club became the Royal Aero Club in 1910, which led to the formation of the Royal Flying Corps in 1912. The flying corps became the Royal Air Force in April 1918.

Mr Ken Sadler, trustee of the gateway trust and agent for the application, said: “It will be a welcome symbol for people who enter the county.”

Mr Sadler said the trust had raised £30,000 towards the £100,000 needed to fund the project.

“We need to get people to dig a little deeper,” he said.

“We have a willing team of engineers and constructors on standby, ready to build it.”