A PROTEST group fighting against a 184ft tall monument from being constructed in the Northumberland countryside has rallied its members for a new battle.

A second application for the monument, a tribute to the Queen and the Commonwealth, near Kirkwhelpington has been submitted by Lord Devonport, owner of the nearby Ray estate, with the design Ascendant, by Simon Hitchens.

The Elizabeth Landmark was rejected by 13 votes to three at last July’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee after it had been recommended for approval.

Following a site visit, the majority of councillors felt it was an inappropriate location for a structure of this kind, but the applicant said it would be appealing the decision.

That appeal is ongoing, but the application has now been resubmitted with amendments.

Keep the Wannies Wild, a protest group which fought the proposals last summer, is encouraging its members to object to the new application.

Anne Palmer, who formed the group alongside Mary Ann Rogers and Emma Anderson, said: “Keep the Wannies Wild has reviewed the new application and considers it substantially the same as the original application which has already been rejected.

“Three new documents have been added. They address visitor strategy, employment, and community engagement. We have conducted a detailed analysis of these and find that they too add nothing of substance to the second application.

“They contain questionable data, easily challenged assumptions and make inappropriate comparisons with other artworks such as the Angel of the North. We are determined to protect the Wannies, our shared landscape, from the proposal.”