ARTIST Martin Smith has been chosen to create a “truly special” public artwork for the first phase of the Penarth Heights housing development.

Mr Smith, along with two other artists, was selected from more than 80 tenders for the project and was invited to create a number of design concepts for the site.

He was chosen as the winning artist by The Penarth Heights Advisory Panel, which comprises members and officers from the Vale of Glamorgan and Penarth Town councils, along with representatives from Crest Nicholson, local residents, business owners and arts professionals.

Sandra Dixon, sales and marketing director at Crest Nicholson South West, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Martin on what will be an iconic piece of public art for Penarth Heights. Martin is a respected artist and presented a number of interesting design concepts during the selection process. These will now be developed and refined, with the input of local people, to create something truly special for Penarth.”

The project is still at the very early stages of development and, as part of the next stage of developing the project, the artist will be consulting with local residents and running workshops with nearby schools to refine his design for the exciting piece of public art. He will also be working closely with the Vale of Glamorgan’s Visible Services and Planning Departments to ensure that the work is safe, accessible and easy to maintain.

Funding for the project comes from Crest Nicholson as part of an allocation detailed in the planning conditions for developing Penarth Heights, under the Vale of Glamorgan’s Percent for Art Policy. The art project, which will include landscaping and additional amenities, will be further developed and finalised following a programme of consultation and workshops.