Plans to build a 50-metre white horse on fields close to the A2 near Dartford have finally been submitted.

Sponsors of the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project have put artist Mark Wallinger's controversial creation before Gravesend councillors, who will either jump on board or put the plans out to pasture.

The project, originally earmarked for completion this year, will have to be approved by the council's planning board before work can begin.

But even if plans are approved, a question mark almost as big as the design still looms over it. Its commissioners, Eurostar, London and Continental Railways and Land Securities, the developers of the Ebbsfleet Valley, have stumped up half the original £2 million total, but have said the recession is making the rest hard to come by.

Costs are likely to escalate beyond that figure "by millions", a source close to the project said.

Those behind the design, dubbed the Angel of the South, hope the 164ft horse, the same size as Nelson's Column, will put Dartford on the international map. But hundreds of residents have already voiced their disapproval. Many, including Kent County Council, said they wanted to see the design altered to recreate a horse rearing up on its hind legs.

Wallinger, a 2007 Turner Prize winner, has said his design is synonymous with Kent. It was part of an original shortlist of five designs, including Daniel Buren's tower of stacked cubes, Richard Deacon's steel "nest", Christopher Le Brun's wing and disc, and Rachel Whiteread's recycled mountain.

A spokesman for Gravesham council said the plans, once validated, should be accessible via its website by the end of the week, or available at the Civic Centre, in Wrotham Road, by appointment.

To have your say on the proposals, once they are available to view, visit the council's planning pages.