Tolkien statue gets the go ahead

The Treebeard sculpture will stand in Moseley Village Green

A statue of a JRR Tolkien character will be erected in the Birmingham suburb where the author grew up and which inspired many of his books.

The 20ft (6m) stainless steel structure of Treebeard the Ent, a tree-like creature from the Lord of the Rings, will go up in Moseley Village Green.

It will be made by the author's great-nephew Tim Tolkien.

The statue was approved by Birmingham City Council planners at a meeting on Thursday night.

Organisers, who have been planning the statue for three years, said it would cement the city's links with Tolkien.

Simon Marcus, who campaigned for the statue, said: "It's been three years in planning, it was just a good idea to mark and celebrate the connection with Moseley, Birmingham, to Tolkien.

"It will put us internationally on the map and bring tourism and more trade to Moseley itself, bringing some recognition."

JRR Tolkien was born in South Africa on 3 January, 1892 but moved with his family to Wake Green Road in Moseley at the age of three.

The idea for a tribute was first suggested in the late 1990s when people living in Moseley said they would like to celebrate the area's connections with JRR Tolkien.