Iconic reeds bridge gets go-ahead

Landscape East would see a bridge of reeds built over the A14

Two designs which won a competition for a landmark of the east have been given the go-ahead.

A 177ft high bridge based on windswept reeds will be built across the A14 linking Cambridge with Wicken Fen Nature Reserve.

The East of England Development Agency said that the Bridge of Reeds would receive "significant funding".

Plans for a moveable bridge which will be used for events across the region also received support from the EEDA.

An EEDA spokesperson said: "The agency plans to assist the teams behind Landscape East, Bridge of Reeds project and the Watermarking bridge project to turn their visions into a reality for the region.

"The Bridge of Reeds will take the form of a dramatic 177ft tall sculpture inspired by the wind blown reeds and flights of birds of the East of England landscape."

Construction is due to start in 2008.

Jonathon Porritt, environmental campaigner and co-founder of the Forum for the Future, said: "The Bridge of Reeds is going to be an enormously important landmark for the East of England."

Watermarking - a movable Dragonfly bridge to be used as a focus for riverside events - generated interest from a number of locations including Ipswich and Bedford, the EEDA said.

Feasibility studies

The schemes are finalists in the EEDA Landmark East competition to create an eye-catching landmark.

Last March, four projects were short listed by a team of judges and received a share of £250,000 to fund feasibility studies into the ideas.

A decision on the two other projects the Dunwich and East Reef will be made on Thursday.

EEDA is the regional development agency for the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk)