Approval not given for Collins family's latest giant memorial at Shiregreen Cemetery, says Sheffield Council
The huge, 30-tonne memorial was erected before formal approval could be granted
Formal approval has not been granted for a colossal, 30-tonne memorial structure that has been erected in a Sheffield cemetery, the city council has confirmed.
The black marble monument honouring the life of Michael Collins, who passed away aged 51 in December 2024, appeared at Shiregreen Cemetery earlier this month (September 2026).
Sheffield City Council has now confirmed that while they did have initial discussions with the memorial mason, they did not grant formal approval before it was installed.
A spokesperson for the authority said the council had been prepared to consider a proposed oversized memorial, subject to agreement on the final design and payment of the appropriate fee.
However, the memorial was erected before final approval could be granted.
In addition, the final design was not submitted and payment was also not made before the memorial was installed.
The structure currently standing in Shiregreen Cemetery also includes a number of elements which were not discussed with the council.
The memorial mason has since contacted the council and indicated that the family wishes to regularise the situation, the Sheffield City Council (SCC) spokesperson said.
Consequently, the council says it is now seeking a retrospective application showing the memorial as being installed together with the necessary structural information.
The purpose of the retrospective application, says the council, will be for the authority to assess whether approval will be granted, whether any changes or conditions are required and what fees are payable.
Retrospective approval is not guaranteed, the spokesperson added.
Memorials in council cemeteries require the approval of a formal application, along with written approval from Bereavement Services.
Only memorials over a certain size require planning permission, the council has confirmed.
A similarly sized and designed white marble memorial marking the life of Michael’s brother, Willy Collins, was installed in March 2022, next door to where Michael’s memorial is now located in the cemetery.
In the case of Willy’s 37-tonne memorial, a memorial application was received and approved, however what was installed “differed significantly” from what had been given the go-ahead.
More than four-and-a-half years after Willy’s memorial appeared at Shiregreen Cemetery, the council says it is still continuing to work through the appropriate processes.
The council spokesperson said: “At this stage discussions remain ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
Willy, popularly known as Big Willy, died unexpectedly on July 7, 2020 after collapsing while on holiday in Majorca, Spain with his family.