PLANS to commemorate an aircraft which helped save the country and went on to become probably the best known fighter plane ever are set to take a huge step forward.

Civic chiefs at Eastleigh want to commemorate the Spitfire just a few metres away from where it made its maiden flight.

And tomorrow the borough's Eastleigh local area committee will be recommended to grant the council planning permission to put a scaled sculpture of the famous prototype on the roundabout at the entrance to Southampton International Airport at George Curl Way and Wide Lane.

The memorial sculpture will be a near full-size replica of the prototype, designed by Reginald Mitchell, that flew from Eastleigh Aerodrome in 1936.

The famous fighter, which was first designed and built at the Supermarine Factory in Woolston, Southampton, went on to play a key role during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940.

Designed by Southampton artist Alan Manning, the sculpture has been made possible by developers' contributions - £15,000 each from schemes to build a hotel and a luxury car dealership alongside the airport - towards local art projects and £40,000 from the local area committee.

The council is on record as wanting the model in place in time for the anniversary of the Battle of Britain in September. The sculpture would also mark the centenary of powered flight.

Tomorrow local area committee members will be recommended to grant planning permission for the replica Spitfire - standing eight metres from the ground to the highest tip of the wing - and associated landscaping of the roundabout.

A report to the committee from planning officers says: "This sculpture is a significant piece of public art sited on a prominent entrance to the borough, intended to celebrate the place of the Spitfire in local history."

The report adds that the memorial will be a "significant landmark for the airport entrance and an asset for the borough".