Residents living near a famous London landmark are outraged by developer plans to replace it with what has been described as a 'Middle Eastern' sculpture.

Wandsworth roundabout's famous 'Pretzel' - officially named 'The Digi-Bridge' - has stood in place in the south west London borough since 1995.

The black twin ring atom-like structure, which stands over 30 metres tall and 25 metres wide, holds a four-sided digital advertising board and towers over the roundabout's bike and pedestrian underpass near Wandsworth Bridge.

The underpass was the filming location for the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange.

But Wildstone Estates Ltd, who own the current structure and describes itself as an outdoor media infrastructure company, wants to replace the sculpture and digital LED displays with a new timber lattice design to support larger digital advertising.

The proposed structure will stand approximately 25 metres tall, with a 23 metre-wide timber lattice that residents have slammed as looking 'Middle Eastern' in its design.

That comparison doesn't seem too far fetched, as its design bears a striking resemblance to Qatar's iconic Crystal Walk.

The 450-metre air-conditioned outdoor promenade on Doha's Gewan Island is one of the Middle Eastern petrostate's most popular tourist attractions.

It uses 10 tonnes of crystals and features 180 illuminated interactive floor boxes for visitors to marvel at.

The free-to-visit site, which opened for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, sees around 10,000 visitors a day walk under its lattice canopy, which stands on solid concrete feet just like the plans put forward in Wandsworth.

The proposed lattice in Wandsworth will support four 14.2m x 4.6m displays, replacing the previous four 14m x 4m digital LED displays.

The sustainable plans will also feature a bee hotel and bird box, according to documents submitted to Wandsworth Council in June.

Wildstone Estates Ltd and Tate + Co said: 'The redesign of Wandsworth Roundabout is an opportunity to rethink a vital layer of London's advertising infrastructure, and redefine how such structures can enrich their surroundings.

'The proposals seek to reuse the existing foundations, with there being no significant increase in scale and the screen sizes remaining as existing.

'The redesign of the structure gives an opportunity to create a sculptural, nature-inspired landmark that enhances its surroundings.'

But the design, by architects Tate + Co, has been branded 'hideous', 'appalling', 'utterly ridiculous' and 'a complete waste of money' by horrified local residents who have objected in droves. 

In a written objection, Mr Dominic Walton compared the design to something out of the Middle East.

He fumed: 'An appalling design - everyone who has seen it immediately comments about its clear Middle Eastern architecture - therefore it is unnecessarily inciteful. You should concentrate more on making the lives of those in your borough better not worse.'

While Mrs Melanie Mounsdon branded the plans 'the most hideous proposal' expressing concern the new design could increase light pollution.

She added: 'That roundabout is an accidental hotspot and no additional advertising should be permitted for safety reasons.

'Residents are also subjected to significant light pollution and so increasing the signage is further contributing to this nuisance.'

Mr Calin Lazea said: 'I'm sorry but who thought that is a good idea? It looks ridiculous, better spend that money on cleaning up the subways and surrounding area of the roundabout.

'Lots of jobsworth people in Wandsworth council.'

Mr Thomas Wilson added: 'There is nothing wrong with the current structure which has become an iconic monument. This proposal is a complete waste of money.'

Ms Evelyne Wrobbel said: 'Investments should be prioritized on safety and roads. The proposal seems a waste of money, plus looks hideous.'

Resident Lucy Morris added: 'What relevance is the design to Wandsworth, the local area or the roundabout. How utterly ridiculous!'

Mr Barry Grant added: 'This timber lattice design is truly awful and doubtless will start to look even worse when exposed to the elements.

'If we really need a new gyratory look, residents should be given some say in the design.'

Despite the backlash, a design and access statement for the proposal claims it 'draws inspiration from fractal, layered structure using natural geometries'.

The documents also boast that Tate + Co architects 'has rapidly achieved an international reputation for sensitive, sustainable architecture'.

The site sits on Transport for London (TfL) land who expressed concern the design would lead to more road traffic accidents.

'Although replacing an existing illuminated display, the collision history demonstrates multiple serious and slight incidents, especially within the approach to the roundabout, where road users would have the most visibility of the advert, where it may distract road users and increase road safety risk, contrary to Policy T4 and the Mayor's Vision Zero Ambition.'

The site lies within TfL freehold land and the existing structures operate under a long lease agreement. TfL said they would likely need to review this arrangement should the designs be given the green light.

The application is currently in progress with Wandsworth Council.

Wildstone Estates Ltd, Tate + Co and Wandsworth Council were approached for comment.