The first image of a new statue of Ebenezer Howard statue that will stand in Welwyn Garden City has been shared by the Welwyn Garden Centenary Foundation.

The image shows the near final product which was commissioned to mark the centenary year and funded by the Wheat Quarter.

Cast in bronze and weighing half a ton, the statue stands over seven feet (2.2m) tall.

Local sculptor Ben Twiston-Davies said: "I’m delighted with the casting which has brought out all the detail in the clay model."

The statue will be installed in Howardsgate later this year when the plinth of Welsh slate has been carved and finished.

A specialist contractor has been commissioned to undertake the works. It is hoped that lighting can be installed so that the statue will be illuminated during evening hours.

Peter Waine, chairman of the Centenary Foundation, said: "The garden city pioneers believed that public art was a vital element in the street scene and it is fitting that this statue of the founder of Welwyn Garden City should be installed in our centenary year."