Colchester to get 20m long, clean air street art
To mark Clean Air Day the Colchester Business Improvement District has commissioned a 20m long mural which will be on display in Queen Street
Painted by local artist Adrian Leroy, the mural aims to bring a breath of fresh air to the city centre, with images of clean, green spaces reflecting Castle Park and other Colchester landmarks.
A GCI representation of how the completed mural will look
The artwork features people walking, cycling and scooting to help encourage people to make green transport choices whenever possible in and around the city centre. Subject to planning approval, the mural will subsequently have visuals and messages added to remind drivers to ‘take care of your air’ by switching off their vehicle engines while stationary.
The new mural complements other art projects being undertaken across the city in empty shop windows and on vacant sites, including the mural that has recently been added to hoardings outside the old bus depot further along Queen Street.
Painting of the mural will begin this Saturday.
Cllr Andrea Luxford-Vaughan, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Environment and Sustainability at Colchester City Council, said: ‘We are pleased to support the air pollution campaign, working in partnership with local artist Adrian Leroy to help remind everyone of the importance of clean air, as well as improving the streetscape along Queen Street.
‘Switching off your vehicle engine when stationary is a simple action for all drivers and it can help reduce air pollution in Colchester by up to 30 per cent. It also improves air quality inside the vehicle, as few car drivers realise that when their engine is left idling that the air they are breathing can quickly become of worse quality than the air outside.’
