Rewse-Davies plans Tramlink competition

London Transport design director Jeremy Rewse-Davies is planning a competition for the design of 66 street shelters to accompany the proposed ú154m Croydon Tramlink.

The competition is organised in response to criticism of its initial design plans from the Royal Fine Art Commission, which is acting as a consultant on Tramlink.

The commission is nervous about shelters being used for advertising purposes, and about the design of poles for overhead cables. The commission says: “There were too many poles. we felt they could be very obtrusive.”

LT’s light rail development manager Scott Mackintosh says: “We hope to overcome these problems with the winner of the competition.” He adds that the shelters will be instrumental in constructing a “Croydon look”. The poles will be redesigned, possibly by the competition’s winner.

LT, says Mackintosh, is looking for “a really bright designer to get across the message of decent public transport at last in Croydon”. The tram project will receive some funding from the Department of Transport and is awaiting private investment.

Rewse-Davies will be inviting six to eight designers for the paid pitch. “It will probably be one architect, one college and a few consultancies. it’s not an open competition,” he says, describing the target as “a small waiting room on a suburban station providing some measure of comfort”.