© Provided by The iArc Bristol would give passengers views over the harbourside and city centre from 70m high (Photo: Arc Global)
Plans for an attraction to carry people nearly 70m (229ft) above Bristol city centre have been approved, despite resistance from council planners.
They recommended refusing permission for Arc Bristol, a glass capsule viewing pod raised by a pivoting structure, and said the design was "overbearing" and would obscure nearby historical buildings.
Yet councillors voted unanimously to approve the construction of the pod, which has capacity for 44 people.
A joint planning application was submitted by Arc's developers and local science exhibition We The Curious.
The Arc will be able to carry up to 42 passengers and two crew on a 20-minute ride from the roof of We The Curious up to a height of 69m above the city.
There are plans for it to operate 12 to 18 hours per day.
The glass capsule would be suspended between two carbon-fibre masts that would pivot on their base to raise it up.
Alice Ellis, project manager for Arc Bristol, said: "The base will be in Millennium Square and the mast will pivot around and turn the capsule.
"The unique thing about Arc is that it moves and we hope that people will get that 'wow' moment when they go up in the air, it is going to be really exhilarating."
Ms Ellis said Bristol "absolutely needs Arc", adding that it would bring "amazing benefits" as a "calling card to Bristol for the rest of the world".
The project is supported by business leaders, tourism chiefs and the Dean of nearby Bristol Cathedral.
Arc Global claim it will bring 260k additional visitors per year, an economic injection of £32.9m per year and 70-80 full and part-time jobs.
However, with a maximum height of 78m (255ft), some are concerned, with objections received from Historic England and the Victorian Society.
Bristol City Council planners said it would "result in a degree of less than substantial harm to the heritage assets" in the area and concluded "the benefits do not outweigh the scale of the harm involved".
However their concerns were discussed at length at a meeting on Thursday, but councillors disagreed and approved the plans.
It is understood the Arc could take three years to be built.