A PUBLIC consultation will be launched to allow residents to have their say on plans to move a town’s war memorial.

Plans to honour Huncoat’s fallen war heroes at a different location sparked a row when they were unveiled last year.

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Opponents claimed it would be open to ‘vandalism and misuse’ if it was moved from the top of the hill near Higher Gate to the corner of Lower Gate Road and Station Road.

Plans to move the cenotaph were given the nod by council bosses in December, although they have yet to go before the council’s planning committee, triggering hope among some that they could yet be vetoed.

Parks boss Ken Moss has now pledged the public will be consulted before any final decision.

He said: “No date has been set, it will be organised this weekend. It will be a 28-day consultation at the end of February through March. People can find out what it’s all about, and there will also be a question and answer session at the council offices in March.We will be putting plans and maps on display for people to come and see.

“There’s an anti-move campaign hinged around the fact they think the council will sell off the land. It’s utterly untrue. There’s nothing like that in the pipelines or even being discussed.

“We are moving it for better access. The Royal British Legion are fully on board and is happy that they will get better access.”

Former town councillor Nick Whittaker said the new location would leave the war memorial ‘open to vandalism’.

The memorial, which honours 25 soldiers from the First World War and six from the Second World War, should be moved to allow for better access for Remembrance Day services and the disabled, the council said.

The proposal was tabled at a Royal British Legion meeting last March, while two consultations were held in October at St Augustine’s Church and a Huncoat Forum meeting, with a preference shown to keep the memorial where it is and a footpath installed.