Bathonians get a chance to choose the design for a new city crossing of the River Avon.
Six designs for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge have been unveiled as part of an international design competition run by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The designs for Bath Quays Bridge are being showcased at an exhibition in the Council’s One Stop Shop on Manvers Street, Bath, from September 14 – 25.
The designs will also be available to view online at www.bathnes.gov.uk/bathquaysbridge.
Cllr Tim Warren (Conservative, Mendip) Leader of the Council, said: “The new bridge is an essential component of the Council’s plans to create a new business district, Bath Quays, in the city’s riverside quarter.
A development of the scale of Bath Quays is a fantastic opportunity for Bath to reinvent a somewhat overlooked corner and connect it with the vibrant and beautiful historic city.”
Councillor Patrick Anketell-Jones (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “This is a game-changing development for Bath. We want to gauge public opinion on the competition entries before we select the preferred design for what will become a major landmark in the city.”
The design competition began in February 2015 when it was advertised internationally to ensure a wide and expert field of applicants. 50 architectural and engineering practices from the UK and beyond applied to be considered and these have been reduced to a shortlist of six design teams by a judging panel made up of Council representatives and respected figures from the fields of bridge engineering and architecture.
Voting boxes will be available at the exhibition and feedback can also be given online, so members of the public can choose their favourite design.
This feedback will then be considered by the jury panel as they decide which design should be adopted.
Alongside the exhibition of the six designs, all 50 children’s entries for the Bath Bridge Top Trumps competition will on display at the One Stop Shop.
The winners of the competition will be selected by the expert panel of bridge design judges.
The winning design for the Bath Quays Bridge and the winners of the Top Trumps competition will be announced in November.
Remember that this bridge is for cycling and walking. The only two that seems to work well are the second to last two. The last one is a rust bucket waiting to happen, the zig zag one causes people to take a short line. The one with the hanging baskets splits the route in two causing conflict. The one that I really like is the A frame one as it also has seats on it making it a space to go to and enjoy the space. Not just a bridge.
A major concern is the fact that the council has not provided the road layout for when cyclists come off the bridge and onto Lower Bristol Road. You are going to have children on bikes riding to Hayesfield School at Brougham Hayes and on to Windsor Bridge where the new residential print works is being developed. You need protected cycle tracks on the road to enable this to happen. If the council does not deliver these as part of the design, then we will get pavement cycling.