It will be called West Park Bridge – since it connects the centre of Long Eaton to the town’s much-loved sprawling park.

Local people were asked to suggest what the striking new landmark should be called. The sweepingly curved structure has been designed with an iconic soaring arch – which during the World Cup drew comparisons to the one at Wembley Stadium.

The construction of the span together with an entire new waterfront where people can enjoy the canal has cost £4.2million – with money coming from the government as part of the £25million Town Deal that Erewash Borough Council helped to clinch for Long Eaton.

The bridge – which will be officially declared open in mid-September – is one of two new footway and cycle crossings over the canal. The other was completed this summer half a mile away at Britannia Mills. It too was thanks to the regeneration investment – which has funded a string of major projects. 

A flagship £10million refurbishment of the centre of town that began early in the summer is due to be completed before the middle of next year.

Erewash’s leader Cllr James Dawson hailed the new West Park Bridge as “truly magnificent”. It replaces a tired metal crossing at Broad Street that was dismantled as it neared the end of its lifespan. Known locally as the Green Bridge, towpath users had needed to duck under it for almost a century because it was built so low.

Cllr Dawson said: “The new crossing’s imaginative design not only makes the most of what is a challenging location but means no-one risks banging their heads. Long Eaton’s £25million Town Deal is money the council battled to clinch for local people so it is only fitting that the people themselves got a chance to name the bridge.”

A shortlist was drawn up from public suggestions before the Long Eaton Town Deal Board held a vote. Other potential names included ones paying tribute to the town’s history as a centre for lacemaking. The bridge itself salutes the industry with a floral design in its balustrade that echoes the kind of wedding lace that Harrington Mill was famed for. 

Handrails are red like the thread used in lacemaking to highlight a repair – and signify how the bridge stitches together the two sides of the canal.

Local businessman Richard Ledger, who chairs the Town Deal Board, thanked local people for their input. He said: “We had a lot of great suggestions for names but in the end it was clear that most people wanted something plain and simple – so West Park Bridge it is.”