The Kelpies have inspired a whale of a big idea

The hoped-for scheme has been directly imspired by the Kelpies, and - at stupendous cost - would aim to attract people to the Fife town of Leven.

A TV news item last night flagged up the first “live” phase of an extraordinary plan first mooted last month.

If successful it would see enormous sculptures of humpback whales created as a massive statement of public art. along with other crowd-pulling attractions.

The news report ended with the comment that nobody would have believed just a few years ago that the Victoria and Albert Museum would one day have a landmark sister museum in Dundee.

The phenomenal success of the Kelpies has prompted prime supporter of the plan, Conservative Councillor Graham Ritchie, to talk up the likelihood his hoped-for giant whales would drive visitor traffic to the area.

If it ever came to fruition the estimated cost of the whole project could be around £55million.

Councillor Ritche reportedly hopes to enlist Kelpies sculptor Andy Scott to build the gigantic stainless steel sea creature replicas - which, again like the Grangemouth structures, would light up at night.

In last night’s TV news broadcast the success of the Kelpies was again talked up as something Leven would do well to emulate in its bid to attract tourists - while giving the town a feature many locals might appreciate.

Councillor Ritchie said: “Leven could be a destination, not just for locals, but for national and international visitors.

“The Kelpies in Falkirk and the V&A in Dundee have put their towns on the world map, and boosted their local economies in the process.

“There’s no reason why with a bit of imagination, energy and ambition Leven can’t follow their example.

“A civic enterprise of this size needs everyone to pull together, and the local communities in Levenmouth have a crucial part to play”.

A meeting about the scheme is to be staged on April 4.