Plans have been unveiled for Scotland's own "millennium wheel".

But unlike its relation in London, the Falkirk Wheel will carry boats - not passengers.

The £17m structure has been designed to transfer vessels between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal at Falkirk.

The 115 ft rotating lift, which is part of the £78m Millennium Link project to restore the canals, will be the only structure of its kind in the UK.

The two canals, running between Glasgow and Edinburgh, stand at different heights from each other and the wheel will allow boats to move between them.

They were previously linked by a series of 19th Century stepped locks which closed in the 1930s.

Planning consent

British Waterways and architects and engineers have teamed up to work on the plans which, in addition to the wheel, include the construction of a new section of canal, two aqueducts, three locks, a tunnel, a railway bridge and a canal basin.

Tony Kettle, director of RMJM Architects, said: "If your children were saying 'Daddy, why don't we do some of these great pieces of engineering these days', well, its one of those.

"Its one of those things that someone will always look to and say its fantastic for Scotland.

"Its a piece of sculpture, a contemporary piece of sculpture.

"Its also symbolic of the linking of the two halves of Scotland."

Jim Stirling, Scotland director of British Waterways, said he hopes the wheel will become an instantly recognisable symbol of the area.

If the design is given planning consent by Falkirk Council, the wheel could be in action by 2001, lifting up to eight boats at a time.

Design praised



The dimensions of the unique wheel are impressive, though not quite equal to its London cousin.

The Falkirk Wheel will be 600 tonnes - about the same as 100 African elephants, while the Millennium Wheel weighs nearly three times as much.

The Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland has praised the design of the wheel.

A spokesman said: "There has been a definite attempt to design the wheel for the 21st Century, which is particularly fitting given the background to the project.

"The combination of cultural and technical factors adds considerably to the effectiveness of the overall concept and has resulted in a truly exciting solution."