There could soon be a new George Michael statue near his former Oxfordshire home (Picture: Getty)
George Michael’s family have been granted permission to erect a memorial statue.
The hitmaker passed away in December 2016 and five years ago, his estate lodged plans for a bronze tribute with the local council in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and they’ve finally been approved.
Councillors allegedly previously warned some of the 3,200 local residents might ‘resist’ the plans.
Commenting on the application when it was first made, parish councillor Catherine Hall said: ‘I’m reluctant to even agree in principle because we risk stirring up a hornets’ nest.’
Over the weekend, George’s childhood friend Andros Georgiou met with sculptor Laura Lian at the memorial site to discuss the project.
A source told the Sun: ‘Everyone is thrilled to finally have the go-ahead. The work begins soon.’
The hitmaker passed away in December 2016 (Picture: Getty)
The star lived in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire (Picture: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock)
They added: ‘Laura was introduced to George’s estate by a friend and they loved her previous work, including figures of David Bowie and John Lennon.
‘Everyone is looking forward to one day being able to unveil the statue in Goring, where he had loved his quiet life for 17 years.’
George’s Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley previously backed calls for a memorial to his late friend, saying on Good Morning Britain: ‘I think there’s a very good case for that.
‘There’s an appetite. I don’t see why there shouldn’t be some sort public place for a memorial. He was much loved and there seems to be a desire for it.’
The singer’s fans flocked to his homes in Goring and Highgate, north London, after his death to pay their respects (Picture: Getty)
The singer’s fans flocked to his homes in Goring and Highgate, north London, after his death to pay their respects.
But in 2018, George’s family issued an appeal for them to remove their tributes so local residents could carry on with normal life.
They wrote on his website: ‘We’ve been touched by your many tributes celebrating and remembering Yog, reminding us how very much he is missed and loved.
‘However, we feel we cannot expect our Highgate and Goring neighbours to continue to accept as normality, the memorials so personal to you all, to remain as and where they are any longer although, we do appreciate your recent efforts to minimise their impact.
‘Yog liked his privacy, his homes were true havens for him, and, ultimately, long term, we know he would not want to disturb or change the quiet neighbourhoods he so loved.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Goring-on-Thames Parish Council for comment.
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It’ll be built in Oxfordshire.