Charmouth beach is due to have a new Olympic, award-winning footbridge by Easter.
Artists Sans façon led on the design alongside Dorset County Council engineers, thanks to a grant from the Arts Council England.
The Charmouth footbridge is a real team effort, bringing together the Dorset County Council arts team, Dorset Engineering Consultancy, Dorset Countryside Coastal Rangers, the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team (AONB) and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site team.
Funding has come from a range of sources, including the Local Transport Plan, Olympic Transport Package, the Fine Foundation, Jurassic Coast Arts Programme and Dorset AONB.
The bridge design needed to be sympathetic to its natural surroundings but robust enough to stand up to the coastal environment due to its location on the South West Coast Path and Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
The artists and engineers also worked closely with the community, including a series of workshops with Charmouth Primary School – looking at engineering solutions and the aesthetic value of what we place on the Jurassic Coast.
The bridge has been awarded the Inspire Mark for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which recognises innovative and exceptional projects.
Cleo Evans. Arts Officer.
