Plans for a bridge to the island housing Crystal Palace’s dinosaurs have taken a step forward following a pledge of £30,000 from the Mayor of London.
At the moment, the infamously badly designed dinosaurs are isolated on an island at the southern end of Crystal Palace, and while their lake location protects them from casual damage, it also makes close up visits very difficult.
At the moment, access is either by boat, or occasionally, by a temporary bridge for public open days.
With a (lockable) Dino Bridge, the Friends will be able to provide access for conservators to maintain and restore the 164-year-old Grade I listed sculptures. They will also run regular educational tours for members of the public and schools.
They estimate that the new bridge would allow them to run tours for around 1,200 people per year.
The Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs have now been awarded £30,000 towards the £73,000 needed to build the bridge, but only if the remaining £35,000 can be raised by 17th December.
The Crowdfund London scheme provides grants of up to £50,000 out of a pot of £1 million where funding is also being raised by the local community.
Talking about the ‘Crowdfund London’ programme, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said: “All Londoners should feel that they are part of the regeneration of their neighbourhoods and crowdfunding is a really effective way of giving people a stake in their part of the city.”
The Dinosaurs are still fundraising for their bridge, and details are over here.
If the funding is secured, then the bridge could be built early next year with tours starting next summer.
