Villagers have reportedly condemned plans for a new tourist attraction – because it would attract too many tourists.
The Guardian today reports that there are plans afoot to recreate six offshore “steel outlines” of medieval churches that have been swallowed up by the advancing sea off the coast of Dunwich, in the English county of Suffolk.
Two German architects have reportedly been granted £100,000 to develop the proposal, which came about after they won a competition being run by the East of England Development Agency.
The competition was aimed at “putting the east of England on the map” in the same way as the Eden Project in Cornwall or Gateshead’s Angel of the North.
But, The Guardian reports, the proposal has reportedly angered residents of Dunwich, a somewhat remote village on a quiet stretch of the Suffolk Coast.
Michael Clark, chair of Dunwich’s parish council, is quoted as saying: “Most people think it is a ludicrous idea. We would be overwhelmed with tourists.”
The winners of the competition reportedly admitted that they had never visited the village until they won the competition, and had found information on Dunwich in books and on the internet.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
