CARNFORTH looks set to become the latest town to celebrate its famous connections by creating a statue, with the hope of boosting tourism.

The town council has been approached by a company called Square Rock, which represents sculptor Laura Lian, who is proposing a sculpture of Brief Encounter director David Lean to be created for Carnforth town centre.

The town council's tourism committee last week unanimously approved the project in principle, with the area outside Ashtrees Surgery on Market Street suggested as a location.

Councillors are hoping that the statue would bring more people into the town, and encourage them to stay longer.

The idea comes as Carnforth station celebrates the filming of scenes in Lean’s classic movie on its platform 70 years ago.

Laura Lian decided to do a sculpture relating to Brief Encounter after being inspired to do a work relating to British film memorabilia.

After speaking to John Adams, manager at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre, it was decided to pursue a statue of director David Lean, rather than of the film’s stars.

“Mr Adam told us about the fact they get so many visitors, 50,000 over the year, from all around the world,” said Marc Silver, of Square Rock.

“However, those visitors don’t tend to go into the town, and a statue would help to encourage them, it was felt. People would come into town to pay tribute to a statue of David Lean.”

Marc Silver and Laura Lian will be coming to visit Carnforth Town Council in mid-August to talk about the logistics of creating a statue.

Said Marc: “I think everyone has the same objective here - to pay tribute to a legend in the film world, to attract extra tourism but to get them to come into the town centre.”

Carnforth town clerk Philip Charnley told the Gazette that the asset management committee said they are 'very, very keen to see if we can't make this happen. We don't know exactly how much it will cost but it's going to be a five-figure sum'.

Statues certainly have the potential to boost a town’s tourism industry, with a famous local example being the iconic statue of Eric Morecambe on the town’s promenade.

The life-size statue - honouring one half of Britain's most famous double acts - has attracted thousands of people to the North Lancashire seaside town since being installed 15 years ago, and last year won a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for ‘significant outstanding feedback’.

In October last year there was public outrage when the popular bronze centrepiece has been sawn at the heel in an act of vandalism, and celebration when he was reinstated two months later.

Similarly, a tribute to world-famous comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy increased tourism in Ulverston by almost 50 per cent in the year after it was unveiled.

Officially revealed by Ken Dodd in 2009, the bronze statue outside the Coronation Hall has brought thousands of extra visitors in its wake.

But they can also prove controversial, as a project to create a lasting tribute in Kendal to the nation’s favourite fell walker Alfred Wainwright proved.

Graham Ibbeson, who created both the celebrated statues of Eric Morecambe in Morecambe and Laurel and Hardy in Ulverston, had planned to depict Alfred Wainwright in his 'archetypal pose' –sat on a rock with his pipe, looking out over the landscape he loved.

But the idea met with opposition from friends and relatives of AW, who said it would be 'the last thing he would have wanted', and the idea was quietly shelved.

On whether David Lean could do for Carnforth what Eric Morecambe has done for his hometown, a Professor of Tourism and Development at the University of Central Lancashire said it 'would depend on several factors'.

“Statues can have a very positive impact on tourism but it depends very much on who it is of and the design,” said Professor Richard Sharpley.

“The problem could be that David Lean is not an Eric Morecambe – he’s not necessarily a popular figure and not recognisable visually.

“However, film-related tourism is a big thing and increasing all the time, so if it’s promoted around the movie it could work – it definitely needs to be publicised properly.

“I think it would achieve their aim of bringing visitors to the station into the town, but it wouldn’t draw new people in.”

The proposed design for the statue is of Lean sitting in an old-fashioned director’s chair, with an empty chair beside him where people can pose for photos.

Professor Sharpley said: “I think this design could work very well - part of the key to the Eric Morecambe statue’s success is that it’s a very fun statue that people like to pose with

“People these days don’t want to stand and stare – they want to engage with what they’re looking at.”

Sketches for the David Lean statue are in progress and could be ready by the end of the month.