A SCHEME to build a national monument in the region to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee is far from dead, said the project's co-ordinator.

Historian Malcolm Neesam, who played a key role in bringing the project to Harrogate, rather than London, said: "If someone comes up with the brass we will go for it."

He was responding to suggestions that the project had been shelved or may not go ahead.

Widely dubbed the Elizabeth Gate, the project, expected to cost about £1m, has already attracted a £250,000 gift from a national donor.

A site at the town centre Pier Head, overlooking Montpellier Gardens, has already been suggested, but so far no planning permission has been sought from Harrogate Borough Council, the landowners along with the Duchy of Lancaster.

If Harrogate does not go ahead with the scheme, it was likely the national monument would go to another part of the country, said Mr Neesam, who stressed it was a privately funded project.

Drawings of the Elizabeth Gate were unveiled last November.

Some likened its giant arch to a Brandenburg Gate feature, claiming it would detract from the nearby war memorial.

It was hoped that work would start before June this year and be completed early in 2004.