Wandsworth Council has given the thumbs-up to Danish practice Bystrup, which was put forward last week as the preferred designer of London’s Nine Elms to Pimlico bridge.

The council’s executive committee signed off yesterday on a jury panel’s recommendation of the firm, whose design features a curling structure with spiral landings.

Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, described Bystrup and its partners as an ‘exceptionally talented and experienced team’ upon confirming the appointment.

The decision comes amid public backlash against the bridge, London’s first car-free pedestrian and cycle crossing.

‘It’s nothing but a sales ploy to sell flats in the new Nine Elms developments,’ Pimlico resident Virginia Forbes told The Guardian. ‘It is entirely for the benefit of the investors and developers, those that are trying to wash their money through the London property market.’

A bridge has long been earmarked for the area, figuring in the mayor’s London Plan to provide the infrastructure for Nine Elms – set to get 20,000 homes over the coming years.

Bystrup, leading a team that includes architects Robin Snell & Partners, beat three other shortlisted entries from the likes of designer Amanda Levete. RSH+P senior partner Graham Stirk, who chaired the competition jury panel, described the proposal as ‘a thing of real beauty’.

There is currently no timeline for its construction, with the £40 million project yet to go through the planning process.