MEMBERS of the public can choose their favourite design for a giant carbon-eating mural that will be painted on a building.

Voting is now open for Southampton residents to choose the final artwork - created with carbon-absorbing paint - for the UK's largest clean-air mural at The Bulb.

Announced by FI Real Estate Management, the mural will form part of the £4 million transformation of Nelson Gate into The Bulb. 

It is set to offer 155,000 square feet of new workspace. The building is next to Southampton Central railway station and will feature exposed ceilings, LED lighting and Bluetooth-controlled air conditioning.

The 1,005 square metre artwork will be created by French street artist Nerone. It is estimated that the paint will allow the mural to absorb 65kg of CO2 per year, the same amount as three mature adult trees.

Daily Echo: One of the proposed designs for the mural at Nelson Gate.One of the proposed designs for the mural at Nelson Gate. (Image: FI Real Estate Management)

The project will help tackle environmental issues within the city, which is currently one of the top four most polluted ports in Europe.

Councillor Sarah Bogle, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Southampton City Council said: "The Bulb frames one of our important gateways to Southampton when arriving by train.

"The ambition is to enliven this space with exciting public art to show off our culturally vibrant city to everyone coming to Southampton."

Three designs have been shortlisted for the mural, with FI Real Estate Management inviting the people of Southampton to choose the final artwork.

Tim Knowles, Founder and Managing Director at FI Real Estate Management, said: "Our aim is for The Bulb to become a real landmark in the city, so it's really important to us that the people of Southampton and those who travel there to work have a say in what it looks like."

A QR code artwork has been created by local artist Will Rosie on the outside of the Nelson Gate building, which people can scan to vote for their favourite design.

The online vote will run for three weeks and the winning design will be chosen at the end of March, with Nerone starting work on the site in April.

Place your vote here: thebulbsouthampton.co.uk