AMY Winehouse’s parents are in talks with Roundhouse bosses over the possibility of erecting a bronze statue of the singer at the Chalk Farm music venue.
The proposed memorial for Amy, who died in July last year, aged 27, would be placed on the first-floor balcony of the Roundhouse.
Amy’s father Mitch, mother Janis, and stepmother Jane spoke of the plans while attending the London Irish Centre in Camden Square this week to launch a project that aims to support Irish migrants in Camden.
Mr Winehouse told the New Journal: “Amy was in love with Camden. But for us, it is a place that we associate with heartbreak and love, because we loved Amy dearly.
“We wanted to have a bench in her memory outside her house in Camden Square, but there are so many hoops you have to jump through to do that, planning permission for one.
“We did speak to the residents’ association for Camden Square and there was no opposition from neighbours, but it’s a residential street.”
The family told how the Roundhouse, in Chalk Farm Road, the scene of Amy’s last live performance, “just felt right”.
“We’re in very early discussions,” said Jane Winehouse.
“So it wouldn’t go up till at least 2013, but for those who loved Amy’s music and all those who knew her around Camden, it’ll be something very special to remember her by.”
Mr Winehouse added: “It will be bronze, lifesize, and on the first-floor balcony next to the Roundhouse bar.
“What we’d like to have is Amy leaning over the balcony and looking, and perhaps pointing, towards Camden Town from Chalk Farm Road.
“It’s not a fire hazard, and in terms of planning it should be fine, so now it’s just getting the money for it. If there are any corporations in Camden that would like to sponsor it then they’d be very welcome to get in touch.”
A spokesman for the Roundhouse said: “We have been in talks with Mitch Winehouse about this, and it’s an idea we are entirely in support of. We are in the initial stages of the discussion process at the moment.”
Former cab driver Mr Winehouse added that he was “regrettably” selling Amy’s Camden Square home. The three-bedroom, semi-detached property is on the market for £2.7million.
“There have been people saying we’re doing it to cash in, and that’s not true at all,” said Mr Winehouse.
“Its upkeep is costing a fortune, and that house is so full of love that it would be a shame for it to remain empty.”
The Amy Winehouse Foundation charity, set up after the singer’s death, is working in partnership with the Irish Centre to help economic migrants coming to London through the publication of a new book, Moving to London: A Practical Companion for Irish People, which offers advice on housing, employment, and health services.
“As soon as I heard about it I wanted to support it,” said Mr Winehouse, 61, who lives in Camden Town.
“Times are tough and a lot of people coming here think the streets are paved with gold, only to find it’s tough when they arrive. They need a
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