Nelson Gate: Colourful mural unveiled for city building

The UK's largest "clean air mural" is designed by French street artist Nerone

A colourful mural design that will adorn the £4m redevelopment of a city complex has been unveiled following a public vote.

Nelson Gate in Southampton, renamed The Bulb, will sport the UK's largest "clean air mural", FI Real Estate Management said.

Designed by French street artist Nerone, it uses C02 absorption paint.

It is estimated it will absorb about 65kg of C02 annually, the equivalent of three mature adult trees. 

Southampton is one of the top four most polluted ports in Europe.

An online vote on the design ran for three weeks, with 10,000 people taking part.

The complex is situated near Southampton Central train station

Southampton City Council's planning panel backed plans to redevelop the site near Southampton Central train station in 2019, described as the "gateway" to the city.

It consists of three buildings, including the 16-storey Norwich House, seven-storey Frobisher House and the five-storey Grenville House, the latter two of which will sport the new design.

Ryan Barber, head of office at the developer, said: "Following extensive investment in the site, including a major internal refurbishment, we are extremely proud of what has been achieved.

"We feel The Bulb is a valuable addition to the Southampton office market."

The mural design has had a mixed response online. Comments from Facebook users on the SEE Southampton guided tours page ranged from "tacky", "ridiculous" and "ghastly" to "amazing".

One said: "Hope this happens! What's wrong with having a great splash of colour across this building?"

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