French prime minister Edouard Philippe has said an international design competition will be launched to seek proposals for a new spire for fire ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral.

At a news conference in Paris, Philippe admitted that the five-year target set out by President Emmanuel Macron for rebuilding and restoring the 850-year-old gem would be “obviously a huge challenge” following the devastation wrought on Monday evening.

Philippe said the competition for a new spire would be open to practices from across the globe, but would be faced with the question of whether to produce a replacement structure “identical” to the 19^th century spire destroyed this week along with the building’s roof, or a more modern response.

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