Norwich City Council is working on a £2.6m restoration of its war memorial and memorial gardens which were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1938. The Grade II-listed park was closed in November 2004 due to structural defects in the war memorial.

Under plans agreed with English Heritage, the memorial will be relocated to make way for a new £65,000 centrepiece to be designed by Canadian artist, Paul de Monchaux. His past works include a contemporary memorial to Wilfred Owen in 1993, Shrewsbury, and a Churchill memorial in 2005 on behalf of the BBC.

Monchaux said: “The source of much of my work is an interest in the way sculpture and architecture share a common ancestry, so I welcome the opportunity to make a piece for Norwich Memorial Gardens site which is framed by some of the city’s finest buildings.”

Ben Webster, design quality manager of Norwich City Council, said: “We plan to reflect the sacrifices and hardships of local people in war, but also to mark the furtherance of peace.”

Visual arts development agency, Commission East was responsible for the process of selecting an artist on behalf of the council.

In addition to the restoration work and new centrepiece, the council will also be adding access ramps and steps for people with mobility problems