Cambridge council orders removal of ‘poorest quality’ statue of Prince Philip

A faceless sculpture of Prince Philip, once described by a council planner as “possibly the poorest quality work” ever submitted, will be taken down years after it was erected without planning permission.

Standing outside a Cambridge office block, the 4-metre bronze statue depicted the late queen’s husband in academic robes with an abstract face resembling a twisted owl mask.

The Unex Group, which is understood to have commissioned the work, previously said it was by the Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, but this was denied by the artist, who said it was “an abuse” to suggest he made it.

Cambridge city council has issued an enforcement notice to the Unex Group, which owns the land, ordering it to remove it by August.

Katie Thornburrow, the executive councillor for planning, building control and infrastructure, wrote on her website of its imminent removal: “Nobody, apart from the wealthy property developer who commissioned it, seems to have a good word to say about it.”

She added: “I will be glad to see it gone, but remain angry that developers could just dump it in place and then force the council to spend officers’ time and money getting them to take it away.