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A futuristic sculpture with laser lighting could be on the cards for the “gateway” roundabout entering Haverhill from the Cambridge direction.

An exhibition at the Arts Centre on Monday showed the work so far of artist Rob Olins, who has been commissioned by Haverhill Enterprise 2000 to make a sculpture for the roundabout.

Mr Olins has been working with Haverhill businesses and local sixth formers on his designs for the sculpture, which is aimed to be in place by October. Another exhibition of his final design will take place in March.

Enterprise 2000, the business pressure group, wanted to improve the entrance to the town to help attract potential business. It wanted a design which would be a statement of Haverhill – its own version of the Angel of the North.

The £45,000 Gateway Project will receive half its funding in a grant from Arts and Business East.

Project co-ordinator June Muscroft said they wanted as much community input as possible into the project.

“Rob has been so impressed by the ideas put forward by the students he has been working with, that he has changed some of his thinking already. We want everyone’s ideas and we want to create a landmark that will attract attention,” Ms Muscroft said.

Richard Herbert, a director of Enterprise 2000, said they were keen to stress that the funding was only available for a project such as this and could not be used for other things that people might want to see in Haverhill.

“We know we cannot please everyone, but we want to make it real community involvement, not just a sham. We want it to be something exciting, which makes a real statement about the town and its future,” Mr Herbert said.

Derek Redhead, leader of StEdmundsbury Borough Council, visited the exhibition and congratulated the innovative project. The council has set aside some funding to create its own art work in the last roundabout leaving Haverhill and to tidy up the others in the town.

“We have set the money aside for it, but we don’t want to do anything to detract from this, so we will wait until it is completed,” Coun Redhead said.