A charity dedicated to remembering Nelson Mandela wants planning permission to be renewed for a statue of the former President of South Africa in Glasgow.
The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation is fundraising for a “permanent memorial” on the street named after him.
It would mark “his connection with Glasgow” – the first city in the world to awards its freedom to Mandela in 1981.
He later visited the city in 1993 following his 1990 release from prison.
Permission was previously granted by the city council in 2017 but expired after three years.
The application, which would see a bronze statue built on the footpath outside 8 Nelson Mandela Place, has now been resubmitted.
More than £70,000 has been collected by the charity, whose patrons include Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Sir Billy Connolly and Glasgow’s Lord Provost Philip Braat.
Plans state the statue is to be completed and installed by early next year.
Brian Filling, the charity’s chairman, was the founding chair of the Scottish Committee of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and is the Honorary Consul for South Africa in Scotland.
He submitted the application to the city council.
“Nelson Mandela Place is the ideal site for the proposed location politically, historically and functionally,” the plans state.
“The Place has a long association with the struggle against Apartheid and Nelson Mandela, while its prominent location could activate this underused part of the city.”
The Anti-Apartheid Movement gathered in the street on the night of his releases while there was also a public gathering following his death in 2013.
St George’s Place was named after Mandela in 1986 and, in 1988, around 30,000 people gathered in Glasgow Green for an anti-apartheid rally.
The application adds: “It would provide an ideal space for both reflection and celebration of the life of Nelson Mandela and his relationship with the city.”
An open competition would be held to select a sculptor, with a panel of experts, including artists and anti-apartheid campaigners, making the choice.
Last February, the charity launched a fundraising push for the final £30,000 needed to build the statue.
At the time, Sir Alex Ferguson, who met Mandela on three occasions, said: “Nelson Mandela was special. An example for the world to follow.
“For decades the ordinary people of Glasgow have played a terrific role in the anti-apartheid movement and as a Freeman of this great city I am proud to play my part in this campaign to honour a very special man.”
