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| Shortlisted designs for London's new pedestrian and cycle bridge unveiled | Shortlisted designs for London's new pedestrian and cycle bridge unveiled |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Four shortlisted designs have been unveiled for another new bridge across the Thames in London – thought to be the first in a major city centre to incorporate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. | Four shortlisted designs have been unveiled for another new bridge across the Thames in London – thought to be the first in a major city centre to incorporate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. |
| The proposals for the bridge, which will link Pimlico and Nine Elms in south-west London, were shortlisted from 74 entries in March in a competition run by Wandsworth council. | The proposals for the bridge, which will link Pimlico and Nine Elms in south-west London, were shortlisted from 74 entries in March in a competition run by Wandsworth council. |
| It was stipulated as part of the design requirements that the bridge had to be high enough to allow large boats to pass below, but not too steep for pedestrians and cyclists to climb. It must also enable movement by cyclists and pedestrians in both directions at peak times. | It was stipulated as part of the design requirements that the bridge had to be high enough to allow large boats to pass below, but not too steep for pedestrians and cyclists to climb. It must also enable movement by cyclists and pedestrians in both directions at peak times. |
| The teams in the running are BuroHappold, Bystrup Architecture Design Engineering and Ove Arup & Partners, which has two shortlisted designs. Their final proposals include spiralling staircases and snake-like ramps, which will link the bridge to the riverbank. | The teams in the running are BuroHappold, Bystrup Architecture Design Engineering and Ove Arup & Partners, which has two shortlisted designs. Their final proposals include spiralling staircases and snake-like ramps, which will link the bridge to the riverbank. |
| Related: Battersea is part of a huge building project – but not for Londoners | Related: Battersea is part of a huge building project – but not for Londoners |
| It is hoped the crossing will support growth in Nine Elms, where new homes and businesses are being created to transform the previously industrial area. | |
| Ravi Govindia, the leader of Wandsworth council, said: “We now have some very exciting and quite spectacular designs on the table. There is still a long way to go, but these teams have given us real hope that a solution can be found to the complex challenges involved in creating a new pedestrian and cycle link across this stretch of the river.” | |
| Londoners have been invited to comment on the designs and feedback will be considered by the competition panel before a winner is named later this year. | Londoners have been invited to comment on the designs and feedback will be considered by the competition panel before a winner is named later this year. |
| However, the bridge does not have the support of all local residents. Westminster’s Labour and Conservative parties have previously expressed opposition to Wandsworth’s plans, claiming the bridge would destroy one of the few green spaces left on the riverside. | However, the bridge does not have the support of all local residents. Westminster’s Labour and Conservative parties have previously expressed opposition to Wandsworth’s plans, claiming the bridge would destroy one of the few green spaces left on the riverside. |
| Heather Acton, Westminster’s cabinet member for sustainability and parking, said in March: “Our officers have and continue to express strongly the council’s opposition to the proposed bridge on the grounds of its visual and environmental impact, including the impact that a new bridge would have at a landing site in Westminster, on traffic flows, pedestrian movement and on residential amenity.” | |
| Related: Wild designs – and fierce opposition – for another new bridge across the Thames | Related: Wild designs – and fierce opposition – for another new bridge across the Thames |
| Nevertheless, Wandsworth has insisted that the crossing will be “a genuine contribution to London’s transport infrastructure”. The council’s competition came after a detailed Transport for London feasibility study and the shortlisted schemes will be assessed by an architectural jury and an expert technical panel. The bridge is expected to cost £40m to build, £26m of which has already been earmarked from community infrastructure levy contributions from nearby developments. | |
| The Nine Elms crossing follows the recent furore over plans for a garden bridge between Temple and the South Bank in central London, initiated by Joanna Lumley and Thomas Heatherwick. The £175m proposal, which would prohibit cyclists, has faced an escalating backlash from leading novelists, cultural figures and architects, who criticised the cost, location and “abysmal” design. | The Nine Elms crossing follows the recent furore over plans for a garden bridge between Temple and the South Bank in central London, initiated by Joanna Lumley and Thomas Heatherwick. The £175m proposal, which would prohibit cyclists, has faced an escalating backlash from leading novelists, cultural figures and architects, who criticised the cost, location and “abysmal” design. |