A Causeway Coast & Glens Council exercise to find a design for a commemorative statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II received no replies, a committee has heard.

At January’s meeting of Council’s Commemoration and Celebration Sub Committee, members were presented with an update report on the commemoration programme for the late queen, which was approved following a successful motion in December 2023.

The motion called for a “substantial permanent memorial” to be commissioned and to be in situ before or during 2026, depicting Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation and “located in a prominent and visible location” within the borough.

“This statue will be a fitting tribute by the people of the borough to the late monarch whose service to our country may never be matched again,” the motion read.

The late Queen Elizabeth and the late Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Giant's Causeway.

placeholder image — The late Queen Elizabeth and the late Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Giant's Causeway.

Sub committee members were told a procurement exercise was carried out for the design and supply of an interior and exterior option, but the procurement department received no responses.

Members were asked to consider working with Ulster University (UU) or Northern Regional College (NRC) in relation to progressing the project.

Director of Corporate Services, Moira Quinn, said council was already working with NRC on another commemorative project – a modern style silhouette of the late queen with Paddington Bear and her “beloved Corgis” – and suggested council could “merge” the two projects, or contact UU.

Causeway Coast and Glens councillors to discuss locations to commemorative Queen...

Alderman Knight McQuillan agreed to contact Ulster University around a planned statue in honour of Queen Elizabeth II (pic: CC&G)

Sub committee chair and DUP alderman, Michelle Knight-McQuillan asked if there was potentially a fear among artists the statue would not be “good enough”.

Ms Quinn said: “I think for artists, particularly students, it’s a great opportunity to showcase what they could do.”

Alderman Knight-McQuillan agreed council should contact UU about the project, as they run the Belfast School of Art, and agreed with an officer’s suggestion council contact the university and carry out a “more targeted tender scoping exercise” if they decline.

She concluded: “There’s no harm in asking, they could come back and maybe not be interested.

“We can revisit and if we need to go down the more prescriptive tender approach after the next meeting we can do that, but it will keep things moving in the meantime.”