‘The Sleeping Legionary’ will be crafted by artist Louis Smith, who has been given a budget of up to £48,000 by Stevenage Borough Council.

A planning application for the sculpture, which will be of a sleeping soldier measuring around four metres in length and one metre in height at its tallest point, has been submitted to the council for approval.

Explaining his thoughts behind the sculpture, which will be installed close to Fairlands Farmhouse if approved, Louis said: “Stevenage lies along the route of Ermine Street – the Roman road that once connected London to York.

“While there is no clear evidence of a large Roman settlement, the Six Hills tumuli are powerful physical reminders that this landscape was deeply significant nearly 2,000 years ago.

“The story behind the piece imagines a group of Roman soldiers leaving the road at night and setting up camp among these burial mounds, unaware of exactly who lies beneath them, but comforted by their presence.

“This mixture of known history and mystery is central to the work.”

The proposed work of art will be created using Jesmonite AC730 – an acrylic-modified micro-concrete – and is “designed to last for many decades with minimal maintenance”, Louis said.

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He added: “The ceramic surface will weather naturally; moss may grow in its crevices, birds may nest within its openings, and rainwater will run across its form, altering colour and revealing new tones as the surface becomes wet and dries again.

“A raw, ceramic-like finish gives the sculpture an earthy quality, as if it has been dug up or revealed over time rather than placed there fully formed.

“[The sculpture] draws from the town’s ancient past, particularly the Six Hills site, and from the idea of Stevenage as a place people have passed through, rested in, and lived alongside for thousands of years.

“It celebrates Stevenage as a place of movement, mystery, and cultural layering, while offering a calm and human presence within the public realm.”

To view the planning application in full, visit stevenage.gov.uk and search for reference 26/00250/FP in the planning portal.