THE architects of a scheme to provide a striking landmark to be built in the sea off the coast of Essex revealed yesterday they have found somewhere to put it.

THE architects of a scheme to provide a striking landmark to be built in the sea off the coast of Essex revealed yesterday they have found somewhere to put it.

It is hoped the sculpture, called the Lost Town, will become a landmark for the East of England to rival the Angel of the North in the North-East.

The sculpture, a church-like structure made from shiny stainless steel piles, designed by German architects Anne Niemann and Johannes Ingrisch symbolises the ongoing impact of coastal erosion. It was originally destined for the coast off Dunwich, but is now planned for Walton-on-the-Naze.

This week Miss Niemann and Mr Ingrisch went to Walton to find a location for the sculpture and to speak to local fishermen and the yachting community.

Miss Niemann went out on a boat with a 15-metre mast to look at various locations, while Mr Ingrisch took photographs of the boat from different places ashore, including the pier and the Naze Tower.

The pair will spend the next couple of weeks turning the photographs into computer-simulated images of the sculpture.

Miss Niemann said the pair have found a good location about 1,200 metres from the shore in a triangle between the Naze Tower and the pier.

“This is of course not finished,” said Miss Niemann. “Consultations go on. We have to decide where to put it. We will discuss it again with local people.”

She said they are still preparing a feasibility study for building the sculpture at Walton-on-the-Naze.

The sculpture is being facilitated by the East of England Development Agency, which launched a landmark east international ideas competition in October 2003, calling for visionary ideas for a landmark to put the East of England on the map.

At the moment there is no source of funding for the sculpture, which Mr Ingrisch said would bring huge financial benefits to the town, by bringing new year-round visitors and regenerating business in the town.