English Heritage faces battle over bridge to island fortress

PLANS to make the island fortress of Tintagel accessible by a footbridge from the Cornish mainland have been met with fierce opposition.

The site’s custodians, English Heritage, have said the £4 million project will make the historic island more accessible and so promote a better understanding of its history.

Since the natural land bridge that once connected the headland crumbled, visitors have had to tackle hundreds of steps, making the site inaccessible to many. The planned bridge consists of two cantilevers that do not meet in the middle and critics have raised concerns over people catching their foot in the gap. But English Heritage said the gap was only 2in.

Locals are also concerned that increasing access would erode the structures and archaeology.

Bert Biscoe, a Cornwall councillor, told the Guardian: “English Heritage wishes to provide a footbridge to increase footfall into the heart of the most delicate and important parts of the archaeological legacy. Even without the proposed footbridge, visits to the island number about 200,000 per annum.”