The Leicester City Council has given its approval to installing a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the multicultural city, ending months of contentious campaign and debate over the merits of the issue.

The council planning committee met on Tuesday and the approval was given after a presentation by officials on all aspects of the issue.

There was no debate at the meeting on the merits of having Gandhis statue, a council spokesperson told PTI.

The 3.8 metre statue will be located off Belgrave Road, the nerve-centre of commercial and cultural activities of people of Gujarat origin.

The cost of the statue, 20,000 pounds, will be met by the Samanvaya Parivar, a charity organisation.

The campaign to install a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester, with a sizable Gujarati minority, ran into trouble when some local groups opposed the move, saying that the town should have the statue of the local football hero Gary Lineker. Lineker, however, supported the move to install the Gandhi statue.

Campaign's lead supporter, Goa-origin Labour lawmaker from Leicester East, Keith Vaz and other parliamentarians led an early day motion in the House of Commons to support the installation of the Gandhi statue.

The campaign also received the backing of Lord Richard Attenborough, known for making the Oscar-winning film on Gandhi.