A long-awaited statue of the Queen commissioned well over a year ago is set to finally be installed.

Gravesham council first unveiled plans for the bronze sculpture in January 2016, with mystery private benefactors paying £200,000 for it.

By December the funding still had not been completely secured. In May this year its setting was confirmed – a stone plinth in Upper St Andrew’s Gardens, off Crooked Lane and facing Queen Street.

Now a vague timeframe of “autumn” has been given as an installation date, pending the approval of a planning application amended and validated last month. The design and access statement reads: “The statue of Queen Elizabeth II is to commemorate 65 years of the Queen’s reign.

“Funding for the statue has been raised by the local business community and local people.

“The statue has been created by Douglas Jennings ARBS, sculptor of the award winning Pujji statue, also in St Andrew’s Gardens.”

Originally intended to mark her 90th birthday, the statue of Her Majesty will be 2.57m tall and a maximum of 1.75m wide, standing on a 1.52m high plinth carved from Portland stone.

The plinth will be surrounded by 1.4m wide paving set flush with the base and a 1.5m wide path will lead to it from Crooked Lane to the west and from the gardens footpath to the east.

Drainage will be incorporated in the surrounding paving to ensure water does not gather around the base of the plinth.

One tree, which is already damaged, will be removed to make room.

The council chose not to comment on the progress of the plan when contacted by the Messenger this week.

When asked about the statue in May, a spokesman said: “We will provide updates as appropriate but will not be releasing any details or images until after the unveiling ceremony.”