A sculpture of acclaimed York actress Dame Judi Dench has been approved for a city park.

The steel sheeted statue is set to go with one of cycle campaigner Dave Jackson in Keble Park, Bishopthorpe.

Cycling charity and campaign group Sustrans has received planning approval from City of York Council for the two sculptures, a bench, information board and associated surfacing.

The Green Belt site is a wide grass verge beside an existing tarmac path, close to the access point on the cycle path from Keble Park North, where there is an existing bench and artwork of the planet Jupiter.

A council report notes the sculptures form part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee portrait benches led by Sustrans to commemorate local heroes across England along sites forming part of, or adjacent to the National Cycle Network.

As the Press recently reported, a public vote from York residents led Dame Judi and Dave Jackson to be chosen for the sculptures proposed for York. Nationally, Sustrans has erected 250 such sculptures in its ‘Local Heroes’ series.

The sculptures will be made of Corten steel sheet which is suited to the outdoors and needs little maintenance. The information board will be aluminium with printed face and the bench made from oak.

Council planners said the materials were appropriate for the Green Belt location and the scheme was recommended for approval.

They added: “Proposals would enhance the local area and add interest to the recreational element of the use of this area as a cycle route. It would not impact on the ecology or the Green Belt. Proposals comply with relevant national and local policy.”

A spokesperson for Sustrans told the Press: “We were delighted to hear that the portrait bench can now be installed on the York to Selby cycle route. The path is a natural choice for a bench to mark two of the city’s local heroes.

“It is one of our most popular routes and we’ve been making a number of improvements over the last year to help make it more accessible for everyone. We’ll be organising a launch event later this year and we very much hope that Dame Judi and Dave will be able to come.”

A spokesperson for Dame Judi told the Press this would depend on when the event was. The agents, London-based Julian Belfrage Associates, said they would ask her, but the actress is “super busy.”

Dame Judi, 88, was born in Heworth and attended Mount School in York before a glittering acting career on stage, tv and film.

Dave Jackson, 75, is born and bred in York and is a former Sustrans construction manager.

He spent over 30 years building and maintaining cycleways, including the York to Selby route, where the sculptures will go.