Dunwich sculpture project fails

The sculpture would have depicted the lost medieval city of Dunwich

Plans for an £18m sculpture scheme off Suffolk's coast have fallen through.

The Dunwich sculpture shortlisted in a competition for a landmark of the east has failed to win financial backing.

The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) concluded after a feasibility study that although technically possible, the location was unsuitable.

Artists behind the proposal are looking at an alternative location for a sculpture symbolising erosion. They are expected to report back in September.

An EEDA spokesperson said: "There are... significant transport and infrastructure issues which, when combined with the environmental issues and strength of public feeling, would make it difficult for the project to attract funding."

Dunwich residents had expressed concern about the plans for giant steel sculptures of a medieval city lost to the North Sea.

Villagers were worried about increased traffic and visitor numbers.

A feasibility study into another winning entry, East Reef, is expected to be completed in the autumn.

Sea Palling in Norfolk was the site originally proposed but the team is also exploring the potential for East Reef at Jaywick, Essex.

Two other designs 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, which has been guaranteed "significant funding" from the EEDA.

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.

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