Statue for World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing approved at King's College, Cambridge

The life of World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing will be marked by a new statue.

Once built, it will stand at almost 4m (13ft) tall on the grounds of the University of Cambridge's King's College, after plans for the sculpture were given the green light at Cambridge City Council on Wednesday.

King's College said the statue commemorating its former student was "long overdue".

Turing famously worked at Bletchley Park to break the Enigma code and decipher German messages in World War Two - work which was dramatised in the Oscar-winning film The Imitation Game.

His heroism was not initially recognised, however, as he was chemically castrated for "gross indecency" in 1952, as Turing's homosexuality was illegal at the time.

He died by suicide two years later.

The mathematician's conviction was only pardoned less than a decade ago and he has since been featured on the new £50 note.

Designed by Sir Antony Gormley, the new planned steel sculpture will be made up of 19 steel blocks and will stand at over 3.6m (12ft) tall.

The sculpture is to be placed next to the Wilkins Building and will be a permanent fixture within the college grounds.

However, some councillors were concerned that the location of the piece would not be as visible as a public place.

Councillor Dave Baigent argued the sculpture should be located outside the college on King's Parade where the public would be able to easily see it.

Concerns had also been raised by Historic England over the impact of the proposed sculpture on the surrounding historic buildings.

The organisation said the sculpture would be "far more visible" than the proposals implied and could cause "some harm" to the significance of the historic college.

King's College said the location had been picked by the sculptor so the work was at "the heart of the college community", where they said Mr Turing "felt most at home".

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