Sky Vault looks for a home

Several locations are being considered for the Sky Vault

Designers of a giant sculpture planned for the East Midlands are considering several new locations, including the National Forest.

The National Forest Company says it wants the 70-foot-high metal mesh tunnel - called the Sky Vault - built across a road that runs through its land in North Leicestershire or South Derbyshire.

The Sky Vault design won a competition nearly two years ago to find the East Midlands version of the Angel of the North.

The £10m project will be funded by the private sector.

Business leaders in the East Midlands say it is important for the area to have a strong regional identity.

Public art

Tom Hughes from the Nottingham-based design company planning to build the sculpture, said he has been talking to the National Forest Company about the Sky Vault.

SKY VAULT SHORTLIST M1 or A42 in the National Forest A1 near Newark M1 at Grange Park, Northants A1 near Grantham

"The National Forest is looking for a public art project and this might be a good fit for them," he said.

The design team has looked at several locations along the M1 and A42 that cross the National Forest and found "several interesting locations".

Other possible sites in the East Midlands include the A1 near Newark in Nottinghamshire, the Grantham area of Lincolnshire and the M1 in Northamptonshire at Grange Park.

"The final decision will come after careful consideration - and also some fund-raising to get the project going," he said.

"We hope to have a definite location by the end of 2004."