London’s controversial Garden Bridge, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Dan Pearson, has been given the green light by Lambeth Council.

Lord Mervyn Davies, chair of the Garden Bridge Trust, said: “This is a great day for the Garden Bridge. The decision by Lambeth council has helped further drive the momentum behind this iconic project, taking us ever closer to reaching our goal.”

The £175m (US$294m, €216m) bridge, which will cross the River Thames from Temple Station to the Southbank, has been a bone of contention for the city since the plans were revealed.

A series of concerns have been raised over the bridge's potential construction by the City of London Corporation and Middle Temple. A petition against it has also been started by campaign group Thames Central Open Space to try and stop the proposal.

The next step for the Garden Bridge is to gain approval from Westminster Council, a decision that will be made on the 2 December 2014.

If permissions are granted, it is hoped that construction will start in 2016, with the opening in 2018. This would avoid potential disruption caused by the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel, due to start in 2017.