The Public Inquiry took place on Tuesday 6 and Thursday 8 August, with the Planning Inspectorate publishing the decision on Wednesday 11 September. The land owner will now need to permanently remove the unauthorised sculpture and restore the land to its former condition within the next four months. 

A spokesperson for Cambridge City Council said: “We welcome the Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal that had been brought against the council’s enforcement notice against ‘The Cambridge Don’ sculpture.

“The statue was erected without planning permission and was in breach of planning control like anything erected without the correct permission. Given its size and location in the New Town and Glisson Road conservation area it would have been unlikely to receive planning approval even if it had been sought because it would have contravened national and local planning policies.

“As we have said throughout this process, it's frustrating that the council has had to spend time and money to achieve this outcome, but the Inspector’s decision makes it very clear that planning policies are in place for a reason and should be respected.”

For more information on to view the decision, visit our planning website, use the 'Simple Search' and select the 'Enforcement' tab, and then enter the following referance number into the search box: EN/00222/23