King Kong could be heading back to the Custard Factory – if plans to bring the legendary ape home are successful.

Well-known Birmingham business figure Andy Munro is to hold talks with representatives from the Digbeth landmark in a bid to give the giant ape a well-earned holiday in Birmingham.

The Custard Factory plan comes after the Birmingham Mail revealed last week that Cumbria-based markets operator Lesley Maby, who owns Kong, was open to offers to allow him to return to the city.

Mrs Maby has restored Kong to an upright new base in her garden in Penrith after the ape lay discarded flat on his back in a nearby car park – and is happy to consider giving him a holiday in his home town.

Andy Munro, who has worked with businesses in the Jewellery Quarter for many years, said: “Kong strikes a special chord with many people and it would be wonderful if we could get him back on loan.

“I am going to meet with the people from the Custard Factory to discuss a proposal that we might put together. I do not want to go into the details because there have been so many hares set running over the years, but the door is now slightly open.

“One of the benefits of the Custard Factory is that we would not need planning permission and that would be a big plus.

“They are up for it but there are obviously costs involved that we have to look into; the devil is in the detail.

“I love public art that people can identify with rather than a heap of bricks and as the self-appointed chairman of the King Kong Appreciation Society, I remember Kong when he was in town.

“I have spoken to Lesley Maby and she has said that she would be open to a loan at least.”

Kong was a much loved figure on his site near the Bullring for years in the 1970s, but has spent the last few decades in Scotland and Cumbria.