Plans to build a Spitfire tribute at Southampton’s waterfront have been given the go-ahead from developers, as part of a new project to expand and regenerate the area.

At 180ft the planned stainless steel sculpture is intended to be a modern and attractive addition to the landscape, bringing tourists to the Town Quay and waterfront area, which has struggled since the closing of the Ocean Village complex and the opening of West Quay shopping centre in 2000. It is hoped that the development will draw attention back to an area which boasts interesting dockland, Mayflower Park and parts of the old wall, a welcome contrast to the shopping dominated city centre.

Colin Baynard from Kilmartin, the company in charge of the development of the structure, believes, "it is a wonderful opportunity for the city and will certainly add to the flavour of the area".

The sculpture is the second of its kind to commemorate the aeroplane’s first flight from Eastleigh in 1936. The first, a Spitfire statue at Southampton International Airport, was unveiled in 2004. The new memorial, designed by famous sculptor Kenneth Potts, will feature an enormous wire mesh Spitfire appearing on its side as if in flight and will be held up by three metal pylons. It will be three times the size of an actual Spitfire and will be illuminated at night.

The design for the sculpture has been compared to Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, which despite criticism has proved a successful tourist attraction. The planned Spitfire memorial has been criticised for not having a similar viewing platform for visitors, yet, as Chairman of the Spitfire Foundation John Hannides points out, "we need to be realistic about what can be achieved within our constraints". At around 55 metres the sculpture will not be anywhere near as high as the 170 meters tall Spinnaker Tower.

It is hoped that the Spitfire will prove a striking landmark, and a major focal point for the development of Southampton’s famous waterfront.