THIS year will be an exciting year for Tintagel Castle as work begins on the new footbridge.

Since English Heritage’s proposals for the bridge were approved by Cornwall Council Planning Committee in October, the project team has been putting together a detailed schedule for the project.

The historic castle will remain fully open to visitors throughout the spring and summer, before closing for the construction of the bridge from October.

The new bridge is due to open to the public in spring 2019.

There will be an opportunity to find out more about plans for the bridge at community drop in sessions at the Tintagel Castle ticket office and shop on Castle Road in Tintagel village on Monday, February 12, and Sunday, March 18.

English Heritage’s head of operations in Cornwall Georgia Butters said: “This is an exciting time for Tintagel. We are thrilled that our planning proposal has been approved and that we are now able to start the next stage of the project. The bridge has been beautifully designed and we now need to make that vision a reality.

“This is an ambitious project, and we have worked hard to keep the castle fully open throughout this summer, before construction work begins in the autumn. We will be holding community drop in sessions in February and March for anyone who wants to hear more about our plans for the project.”

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: “We are delighted that the new footbridge at Tintagel Castle has received planning approval. This is an incredibly positive move for one of Cornwall’s most important historic sites, and good news for the Cornish visitor economy. Not only will the new footbridge help make the castle more accessible to visitors, but it will also provide an enticing new experience which is sure to bring many visitors to this spectacular stretch of the north Cornwall coast. I am very much looking forward to the opening of the bridge in 2019.”

The community drop-in sessions will be a chance for locals to meet the project team, hear more details on the plans for the construction of the bridge, and find out about the planned landscaping improvements, which English Heritage said will help preserve the archaeology and ecology of this important site.

The dramatic footbridge will span the gap between the castle’s mainland and island wards. It has been designed to recreate the historic route into the castle, which was connected by a bridge until at least the 16th century.

At a height of roughly 55 metres above sea level, the planned bridge consists of two independent cantilevers of approximately 33m length each, reaching out and touching, almost, in the middle. At the centre, a narrow gap between the cantilevers has been designed to conceptually offer visitors a sense of transition between the mainland and the island, the present and the past, as they step into the mysterious history that makes Tintagel so special. The design team — Ney and Partners with William Matthews Associates — was chosen in March 2016 following an international competition which provoked fierce competition from 137 architects and engineers.

The community drop in sessions will be held from 11am to 4pm.