Thomas Heatherwick’s £175m (US$294m, €216m) pedestrian footbridge, spanning from Temple Station to Queen’s Walk on the Southbank in London, has been submitted for planning.

After the announcement in December last year that £30m (US$50m, €37m) of government funding would be available for the development as part of the National Infrastructure Plan, the project has continued to gather pace.

The bridge is to become a new green space for London and focus will be placed on its garden layout. The landscape designer, Dan Pearson has been working closely with Heatherwick on the project, alongside Arup. Plants, trees and woodland aspects will all be incorporated into meandering walkways.

If the plans are approved and further funding secured, the bridge would be expected to open at some point in 2017.