A £150,000 new landmark could soon be towering over mid Suffolk.A bid to build an 80ft high structure on Coddenham's Shrubland Hall estate has been made by landowner Lord Eric de Saumarez.

A £150,000 new landmark could soon be towering over mid Suffolk.

A bid to build an 80ft high structure on Coddenham's Shrubland Hall estate has been made by landowner Lord Eric de Saumarez.

It would mark the northerly most point of the 1,500-acre piece of land and recreate a Roman feel in the area.

Lord de Saumarez, 47, said: "There was a beacon on this site in Roman times and this would take it back in time.

"Nothing is built these days for its own sake - it's all got to be functional. The Victorians and the Georgians built things to look good and this would be in a similar vein."

The project is dependant on funding being secured and could eventually be sponsored.

Lord de Saumarez said: "This is because I'm committed to paying for the historic buildings on the site.

"It could take as long as two years before it's built, but if everyone said it's absolutely fantastic and we got the money it could be up by the summer.

"But if everyone thinks it's stupid, there's no way I'm going to go ahead with it."

The idea was first hatched as a way of marking the millennium, but has since been stalled. It was designed by the late Ipswich architect David Hatcher in 1998.

Lord de Saumarez added: "This would be a landmark for mid Suffolk. Most people who come into the area travel along the A140 and A14 and this would be visible from both roads."

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