Plans to erect a bronze statue of Terry Pratchett in Salisbury are gathering pace after campaigners received the backing of the city council.

Almost 9,000 people have signed a petition calling for a permanent statue of the Discworld author, who died last year, to be installed in a prominent position in his hometown. Started by resident and designer Emily Brand, the campaign has received the backing of Pratchett’s family, as well as his friend and fellow author Neil Gaiman.

A proposed concept design of the Terry Pratchett statue by Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby

“He would have said something a bit sarcastic about it, and have been secretly very pleased. And then he would have discovered that you can hide something inside a statue, and confided in all his friends that in a few hundred years people would be in for a surprise … I hope the statue gets made,” Gaiman wrote on Facebook, urging his followers to sign the petition.

Last night the city council’s services committee backed the campaign, the Salisbury Journal reported, with councillors praising both Pratchett’s novels and the campaigning he did for Alzheimer’s after being diagnosed with a rare form of the disease, posterior cortical atrophy, in 2007.

The statue is set to be designed by Paul Kidby, the artist whose iconic illustrations adorn Pratchett’s Discworld books. Kidby has proposed a sculpture he hopes “would be unsentimental and a happy depiction of the author, which celebrates his achievements and brings pride to the people of Salisbury”. His drawing suggests a life-sized statue of Pratchett in bronze, in which the author is, he says, “standing in a relaxed pose, wearing his iconic hat and carrying a book under his arm.

“Terry would be wearing his leather jacket and open-necked button-up shirt, trousers and shoes. In the top pocket of his jacket are some pens. I imagine the figure standing on a flat base, also of bronze, which would be [inscribed] with his name and the dates of his life.

“There is the possibility to add some Nac Mac Feegles (Scottish-style pixies from Pratchett’s writing) to the sculpture, which would add an element of humour and surprise to the piece. I think these Feegles would be best placed behind Terry’s feet so they only visible when walking to the back of the sculpture. I think they should be doing something mischievous such as prising the letters off the base and carrying them off – or similar. These small characters would bring an aspect of his Discworld creation directly into the overall piece.”

Brand told the Guardian that she came up with the idea for the statue last summer. “I was talking with my family about how it was a shame there wasn’t some kind of tribute to Sir Terry in Salisbury, given how much he did for the local area, not to mention the impact he had on literature in general. While there are several tributes to him across the country, I wanted to see a permanent and prominent feature in our town,” she said. “I realised that instead of waiting for someone else to do something about it, I should see what I could do to promote the idea. The petition started as a way to gauge interest and to show the local council that there was a real passion from the community in regard to Sir Terry’s work.”

Monday night’s city council meeting was attended by Pratchett’s management team, as well as Kidby, she said. “They all joined us … and while we were prepared to speak at length in support of the project and the potential benefits to the area, the council members voted very quickly and almost unanimously … to allow the project to proceed to the next stage,” said Brand.

Campaigners will now work out how much the statue will cost, and will then either launch a crowdfunding campaign, or look for local sponsorship. “Once we have an official final design and location … we will move forward,” Brand said. “It’s a long-term project, but the overwhelmingly positive messages we’ve received from around the world show how important recognising Sir Terry’s work is to the fans that adored his work.”

Elsewhere, another campaign is underway to have a newly discovered element named “octarine” after Pratchett’s colour of magic. It has secured more than 49,000 signatures since it was launched at the start of the year.

