A steel elephant could become a new eye-catching centrepiece on a town centre roundabout.

Colchester Council, Essex County Council and Greater Anglia are set to pay out £200,000 to put the “wayfinding sculpture” on the Albert roundabout at Cowdray Avenue.

They hope it will “transform the walking route” from Colchester Station to the town centre.

The cash will also pay for new lighting, landscaping and improved CCTV.

 

It will mark the second phase of the Fixing the Link initiative.

Designers, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero, settled on an elephant as it is the motif of the project.

It is inspired by tales of Emperor Claudius’s dramatic arrival into Colchester with a herd of elephants to celebrate the victory of the Roman invasion in 43 AD.

If approved it will be constructed using 26 individually-designed pieces.

Walkers will see the pieces merge to form the shape of an elephant as they walk towards the town centre.

 

Martin Goss, infrastructure boss at Colchester Council, said: “We can make it easier for people to find their way from the station and enjoy a more welcoming, interesting and attractive route which is less than one mile.

“This exciting proposal not only showcases exceptional design talent, but it creates a new cultural landmark for what is an important gateway to our town.

“We know that visitors who arrive by train tend to stay longer if they have a positive experience of reaching the town centre, and we want to encourage as many people as possible to visit by train and make the most of our fantastic shops, restaurants, markets, cafés and bars, as well as the array of outstanding music and arts events.”

 

To date, the project has seen the installation of a cast bronze 3D model showing the original Roman walls and gateways at Middleborough, corten steel wayfinding elephants at the Railway Station and High Street and yellow banners to highlight the route and show walking times.

Paul Wilkinson, Greater Anglia integrated transport manager, said: "The Fixing the Link project is helping passengers find their way on foot to and from Colchester station as well as improving the environment for the local community.”

Jonathan Dallas, Project Designer, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero, said: “Our brief was to put forward a striking wayfinding sculpture to make the walking route easier to navigate.

“We believe the proposal will not only create a positive talking point for the town and provide a point of interest on the route to the town centre, but it will also add to Colchester’s spirit of contemporary culture."

If planning permission for the public sculpture is given, work will begin on its installation in spring 2019.

To find out more about the project and to see how it has developed, visit the ‘Fixing the Link’ website www.colchester.gov.uk/fixingthelink

To view the full planning application visit www.colchester.gov.uk/planning and search for planning application number 183085