Redditch Borough Council’s planning committee has unanimously approved a plan to build a statue of John Bonham in the centre of his home town of Redditch.

Councillor Matthew Dormer told LedZepNews on the evening of October 11 that the planning committee had unanimously approved the plans for the statue. He said he thought the statue will be a “great thing” for Redditch.

John Bonham’s sister, Deborah Bonham, told the BBC that she was “absolutely thrilled” at the news.

After years of campaigning, John Bonham's sister Deborah has finally got permission for a memorial to him in Redditch town centre. pic.twitter.com/FjfUTd2x8a

— BBC Hereford & Worcester (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

She also reportedly said that all of the money for the memorial had been raised.

John Bonham's sister says all the money now raised for the memorial and what is left over will fund Teenage Cancer Trust nurses for Redditch https://t.co/bG66nrPE9e

— BBC Hereford & Worcester (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

Here’s a photo of the planning committee during the meeting in which it decided to approve the proposal:

Tonight councillors in Redditch are deciding whether to give the go ahead for a statue to John Bonham in the town centre. pic.twitter.com/ksOXEnOd7M

— BBC Hereford & Worcester (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

The decision means that plans to install the statue can now proceed.

LedZepNews dug out the proposal documents in September and found images of what the planned statue will look like.

First of all, here’s where the statue will be located:

The area highlighted with the bold red line is Mercian Square in Redditch town centre.

And here’s what the sculpture, which has been designed by artist Mark Richards, will look like:

Here’s the back of the sculpture:

The memorial will be made out of bronze and covered in anti-graffiti paint. It’s estimated to weigh up to 2,500kg.

The application included images of a small-scale model of the proposed statue:

The application suggested that a group named “Friends of the John Bonham Memorial” could be set up to help maintain the statue.

Additionally, the proposal suggested that a yearly “Bonham Bash UK” event could be held in Redditch on the weekend closest to Bonham’s May 31 birthday. It sounds similar to the Bonzo Bash event that takes place in the US every year.

Intriguingly, a Warner Music executive has written a letter in support of the statue. Tim Fraser-Harding, who lists his title as “President, Global Catalogue, Recorded Music” said in his letter to Redditch Borough Council that the statue’s unveiling would be part of “a series of high-profile events” held to mark Led Zeppelin’s fiftieth anniversary in 2018.

View the full letter from Fraser-Harding below: