Nala the cat | Wikimedia CommonsFor years, commuters passing through Stevenage railway station could encounter an unofficial member of staff sitting near the ticket barriers, watching passengers stream towards trains and accepting attention from almost anyone willing to stop. Nala, the station’s much-loved roaming cat, became a familiar presence in the Hertfordshire town and later an online celebrity, but after her death in December 2025, the empty space she left behind prompted hundreds of messages and a campaign to make sure her daily station visits were not forgotten. Now that the campaign has cleared a major hurdle, with plans approved for a 5. 5ft bronze memorial designed around the very place where commuters most often encountered her.According to ⁠BBC News' exact report on Nala's memorial, Stevenage Borough Council’s planning committee approved the plans after messages of support arrived from across the UK and overseas. The sculpture, created by artist Ben Twiston-Davies, will be installed on the walkway connecting the town’s Arts and Leisure Centre with the railway station, placing Nala’s memorial close to the commuter route that made her famous.Nala the cat | Wikimedia CommonsThe statue will recreate the place commuters remember herThe memorial is not simply a bronze cat placed on an ordinary pedestal. According to the ⁠official Stevenage Borough Council planning report for application 26/00301/FP, the proposal is for a bronze sculpture of Nala sitting on top of a plinth designed to resemble a railway ticket barrier, directly referencing her habit of spending time at Stevenage station. The planning documents give the structure an overall height of approximately 1.7 metres, or 5.5 feet, and describe Nala as a firm favourite of travellers and local residents who later became more widely known through social media.That design choice matters because the ticket barrier was central to the way many passengers remember Nala. Rather than appearing only occasionally around the station, she became closely associated with the flow of daily commuter life, perching in a place where passengers naturally passed her on their way in or out. Her owner, Natasha Ambler, created The Adventures of Nala Facebook page in October 2023, and the BBC reported that it quickly grew to 25,000 followers. Nala’s public profile even extended into charity fundraising when she released a Christmas single in 2023, with proceeds donated to the RSPCA and Stevenage homelessness charity Feed Up Warm Up.Stevenage railway station | Wikimedia CommonsHundreds of people have helped turn the memorial into a real projectThe statue is being funded through donations rather than simply appearing as a council-funded public artwork. According to the ⁠exact GoFundMe campaign for Nala's memorial, more than 600 donations have pushed the fundraiser close to its £8,000 target, with the organiser explaining that the money is intended to cover the bronze sculpture, installation and other project costs. The campaign also says any remaining money will be donated to cat charities in Nala’s name.Twiston-Davies has offered his artistic services free of charge, while the BBC reported that Nala’s owner described her death as losing “a member of the family.” Stevenage MP Kevin Bonavia said the memorial would allow Nala to continue welcoming people arriving in the town and serve as a reminder of the community spirit that formed around her.For commuters who knew her, the bronze sculpture will recreate an unusually specific everyday memory: a cat waiting near the barriers as another trainload of passengers hurried through the station. Nala will no longer be there to greet them herself, but if the memorial is installed as planned, future passengers may still find a cat sitting above a ticket barrier in Stevenage.