A set of outlandish designs for a new Thames pedestrian crossing have been unveiled, including rainbow colour schemes, waterfalls, tentacles and glowing lights.
A total of 74 plans have now been submitted for the Nine Elms and Pimlico bridge, which is expected to 'plug the gap' in central London crossings while supporting use of environmentally friendly travel.
Designs are being displayed to the public on an anonymous basis before judges select a shortlist of four teams to deliver more detailed plans in March.
Plans submitted include a curving spoon-like bridge flanked by cascading waterfalls, a structure surrounding by illuminated purple hoops and a bright red cycle highway.
The designs are vastly contrasting in scope, with one offering a simple metallic bar across the Thames and another imagining a vast lattice of yellows, purples, reds and oranges.
Leader of Wandsworth Council and member of the competition judging jury, Cllr Ravi Govindia, said: 'We challenged the world's designers to come up with creative solutions to a very complex set of design, engineering and transport challenges. The response is testament to the exceptional talent out there.
'To succeed this bridge must be two things at once. It must be a beautiful piece of architecture and a valuable new transport link. This is what our growing city needs and thanks to this competition we now have more than 70 different approaches to consider.'
A £26m contribution to the project has already been identified from the development of Nine Elms and the bridge is expected to encourage further funding.
A study by Transport for London confirmed the crossing has a good business case and would provide another valuable route through central London to support sustainable travel options.
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