Railway mural project divides opinion

Tewkesbury-based artist Sarah Brown has been chosen to lead the mural project

Plans for a mural under a railway bridge in Worcester have divided opinion.

The project, which has been approved by the city council, is to be placed underneath the bridge near Foregate Street Station and will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.

The council and Severn Arts said they hoped the project would draw attention towards the arches and the walkway that links Foregate Street to the river.

But the Conservation Advice Panel has objected to the scheme, saying recently exposed brickwork should be celebrated and potentially cleaned up.

In response, council officers said the mural would not be painted directly on to the bricks but on an aluminium panel that could be removed in the future.

The project has been described by planning officers as "a sensitive and reversible cultural intervention that celebrates Worcester's railway heritage by enhancing the public realm".

Tewkesbury-based artist Sarah Brown, who has recently created a large mural in Redditch, has been chosen for the Foregate Street project.

She will be working with residents of Platform Housing and students from Heart of Worcestershire College.

Inspiration will be taken from vintage railway posters that used to be displayed under the bridge in the 1960s.

Councillor Alan Amos said the project was "excellent" and asked for railway staff to be included in consultations.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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