A ‘FLYING balcony’ bridge connecting the planned boatyard in Jericho with Rewley Road has been suggested by an Oxford business owner.

Landscape architect John Keyes said the design would remove the need for a swing bridge that is part of plans to redevelop the Castle Mill boatyard.

The swing bridge’s position has divided community groups and the Canal & River Trust, which raised concerns about safety.

But Mr Keyes, a boater and owner of Walton Bridge Moorings, off Walton Well Road, said: “This idea would join the bridge with the rest of the development and bring more people into it.”

The £20m boatyard redevelopment, approved earlier this month by councillors, would see a public square created between St Barnabas Church and the Oxford Canal. It would be bordered on its north side by a community centre and boatyard, which Mr Keyes said could be linked with a fixed bridge.

His idea, detailed in a CGI video, involves building a bridge from Rewley Road across Castle Mill Stream and the canal.

It would join with the community centre’s first floor and include a ramp to Canal Street for disabled access, not provided by an existing temporary bridge next to the site.

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Mr Keyes, an architect of 17 years, said: “It would make the bridge part of the community centre and the boatyard and open up a new space.

“If you had slow graded steps coming from the bridge, you could also create an amphitheatre space where people could sit and watch performances.”

The new bridge would also more directly connect Jericho and Oxford Station, he added, bringing more visitors on foot and by bike.

He added: “At the moment this is just a pipe-dream, but I am hoping the church and the developers might sit down with me to see if it could work.”

The position of the swing bridge across the canal, included in plans for the redevelopment, was criticised by people in Jericho after it was moved from a position in line with Cardigan Street to one aligned with Great Clarendon Street.

This week Nick Band, spokesman for developer Strategic Iconic Assets Heritage Acquisition Fund, said the firm would be willing to meet Mr Keyes to discuss his idea.

Mr Band said: “We would be delighted to look at these designs to see if they could be taken further.

“The more engagement from the community on this issue the better.”