Plans have emerged for a giant chair arch sculpture over Handy Cross in what engineers hope could be High Wycombe’s very own rival to the Angel of the North statue.

To mark the final phase of the £150m Handy Cross Hub and celebrate the town’s rich manufacturing history, Chinese-based engineering giant Flairpools have approached the council over the audacious project, which if approved could soar up to 200 feet above the ground.

The firm - which announced the news on April 1 - has constructed similar sculptures in China including a huge equestrian figure towering over a hillside in Quanzhou, which bosses say has brought a massive influx of tourists to the area.

And the £100m ‘Seat of the Gods’ vision will honour High Wycombe’s long tradition of furniture making, and recall the chair arches built in the town to honour Royal visitors.

Spokesman for the engineering company Joy-Kon-Ling said: “This concept represents one of the biggest and most exciting projects in the UK.

“By simultaneously celebrating local culture while pushing the very boundaries of art and engineering, we believe we can do High Wycombe proud and make the Seat of the Gods one of the most talked about attractions in the country, if not Europe.”

If the plans are adopted by Wycombe District Council, a special viewing platform will be erected near the new sports centre along with a visitor centre and art gallery dedicated to Wycombe’s chair-making heritage.

It is hoped the chair arch can become as iconic a structure as Antony Gormley’s winged steel figure outside Gateshead, which acts as a gateway to the region.

And the arch – already dubbed by some the Angel of the South – will welcome M40 traffic passing towards London into the south east and will dwarf its rival ‘Angel’, which stands at only 66 feet.

The concept closely resembles a chair arch design by London-based art and architecture group Public Works last year, but it is not yet clear if the practice is involved.