While there has been much focus on Thomas Heatherwick’s proposed Green Bridge over the River Thames in London, proposed to join the South Bank to Temple, proposals have been developed further upstream for a new £22m bridge over the Thames linking the developing areas of Battersea and Chelsea Harbour.   The ” Diamond Jubilee Footbridge” will be used by at least 1 million pedestrians and cyclists a year and will be funded by corporate sponsorship with initial funding from Palace Investments and Rafayel Hotels.

Designed by architect Chris Medland of One-World Design, the bridge will be adjacent to the existing Battersea Railway Bridge and will be constructed of steel on top of concrete pillars, painted white to “convey a sense of elegance and lightness” and, given it shape, may soon take on the colloquial name of “the seagull”.   The bridge will fill a gap in transport infrastructure as there is currently no foot or cycle crossing between Wandsworth Bridge and Battersea Bridge.

With a fair wind, construction will start in late 2014.