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Reimagine Croydon's Subways: winners unveiled
An underground plaza boasting a restaurant, cinema and running track; drone racing; and the creation of a subterranean mushroom farm; have been unveiled as the winning concepts in the Reimagine Croydon’s Subways competition. The three innovative ideas beat competition from a variety of creative suggestions put forward as potential ways the six subways located around Croydon town centre, could be revitalised and brought back into use. More than 40 proposals were submitted across three categories – professionals, non-professionals and under-18s under -18s – and- aand selection a selection werewere shortlisted shortlisted for public for public feedback feedback and andgotobefore to go before the judging the judging panel. panel. Croydon Lives won the professional category. Created by Abigail Watts-Cherry, the concept sees the subways re-purposedinto repurposed intoaavariety varietyofofspaces spacesspecific specifictotothe thearea areainin which they are located. For example, the subway located next Fortoexample, Fairfield the Halls subway would located be transformed next to Fairfield into Croydon Halls Performs, would be transformed a cinema auditorium into Croydon that could Performs, screen a cinema locally made and independent auditorium that could screen films; Croydon locally-made Runsand would independent see the Park Lane films; Croydon Gyratory Runs would becomesee anthe underground Park Lane running gyratorytrack with a marked become an underground circuit for running people to track exercise. with a marked circuit forSubterranean people to exercise. Mushroom Farm, submitted by Andrew Dickinson Subterranean won the Mushroom non-professional Farm, submitted categoryby and Andrew could
Dickinson, see the urban wonmushroom the non-professional farm currently category at Church and Road could replicated see the urban within mushroom a subway. farm Thecurrently initiativeatwould Church take Road used coffee grounds replicated within collected a subway. from town centre retailers and use them Thetoinitiative grow oyster wouldmushrooms take used coffee – Cr’Oysters, groundswhich collected would then be from town soldcentre to restaurants retailers and anduse cafes them around to grow the oyster borough. mushrooms Riddlesdown – Cr’Oysters, Collegiate which student would Gemma, then 12, be sold won to the under-18s category restaurants and cafes with around her Drone the borough. Racers concept. Her idea Riddlesdown sees the subway Collegiate tunnels student comeGemma, to life as12, thewon venue thefor drone races, under-18s category with LED with lights her used Drone toRacers mark out concept. a race course within Her the ideasubway. sees the subway tunnels come to life as the venue Eachfor concept drone races, winnerwith received LED lights a £500used prize, to with markthe outprize a fund course race for the within under-18s the subway. category able to be donated to a charity, Each concept school or winner a community received agroup £500 prize, fund of with thethe winner’s prize choice. fund for Croydon’s the under-18s Talents, category a mural able to made be donated up of the to images a charity, of Croydon’s school or a community most successful group fund musicians, of the winner’s artists,choice. rappers and spoken Croydon’s word artists Talents,was a mural the competition made up of runner-up the imagesand of will receive a £100 Croydon’s mostprize. successful musicians, artists, rappers and spoken word artists was the competition runner-up and will receive a £100 prize.
