Critics of planned bridge say increased footfall could erode island’s structures – that is, if anyone is willing to cross it
Plans for a footbridge soaring high above the waves between the Cornish mainland and the island fortress of Tintagel have caused a storm of protest.
The site’s custodians, English Heritage, say the bridge will help more visitors reach the island and understand its history better.
It is to be created out of two cantilevers that reach across the windswept void from either side but do not quite meet in the middle. Plans for the £4m project have been formally submitted to Cornwall council but there have been objections ranging from the philosophical – is it all about raising money? – to the practical: might not people get a foot stuck in the gap?
In recent months English Heritage has been criticised for turning Tintagel into a “fairytale theme park” focusing more on its legendary associations with King Arthur than its real, fascinating history.
There was an outcry last year after the head of Merlin was carved into a rockface and a statue of a regal figure that most visitors take to be Arthur was helicoptered on to a prominent spot on the island. The bridge scheme is creating more concern.
Bert Biscoe, a Cornwall councillor and Cornish bard, is among those who have now officially objected to the 72-metre-long (236ft) bridge.
Biscoe said the planning application was one of the most important ever to be put before a council in Cornwall and possibly in the UK and should be subject to a planning inquiry.
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/30/bridge-to-tintagel-raises-philosophical-and-practical-objections
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