A competition has opened in Croydon to find an artist for a £25,000 installation to be displayed at Croydon’s Factory Lane.

A development of 15 brand new industrial/warehouse units is being built on Factory Lane, to the north-west of Central Croydon.

Called The Works, it is being delivered by a joint venture (JV) between developer Chancerygate and SGN Place, the property development subsidiary of gas distribution company SGN.

The brief for The Works Croydon Community Art Competition is to reflect the site’s heritage, which first housed gas holders in 1895 and was known as the Croydon Gas Works.

The artwork will be displayed on the side of one of the properties visible from the scheme’s Factory Lane entrance.

To enter, local artists will need to submit an expression of interest, including reproductions of previous and work and a 300-word statement or a sketch by no later than Monday, December 4.

These will be reviewed by a panel of judges from Chancerygate, SGN Place and London Borough of Croydon.

Once applicants are selected, they will need to send a formal submission.

This submission should include an outline idea for the installation, details about how it will be made, and an estimated cost.

The judges will then evaluate the submissions based on how well they interpret the project's requirements, their creativity, the quality of the composition, and how well the installation fits into its designated space.

The total cost of the project will be £25,000, including installation and the artist’s fee and applicants who are shortlisted but not successful will be given an payment of £500.

Chancerygate development director, Tom Faulkner, said: “The Works is an example of transforming an unused brownfield site to open it up to new uses.

“As we look to progress the scheme, we wanted to ensure we celebrate the site’s past, which contains more than 100 years of Croydon’s industrial heritage.

“This is why we are looking for local artists who can remind us of this history juxtaposed with our modern development which will serve as a key economic asset for the area.” 

Submissions need to be sent to Ada Ioannidis-Mann, marketing manager at Chancerygate, via email at aioannidis@chancerygate.com by Monday, December 4.