'Angel of South' contest launched

Ebbsfleet International will be an important 2012 Olympics rail hub

Artists are being invited to submit designs for a £2m Angel of the South figure to be built in Kent.

The contest to create an iconic image for the A2 near Ebbsfleet railway station is to be launched on Tuesday.

It is hoped the project, which is backed by Eurostar, London & Continental Railways and Land Securities, could be finished by 2009.

A Eurostar spokesman said: "We want to create something that will rival - in impact terms - the Angel of the North."

"It may or may not be a sculpture. It will be on a promontory adjacent to the A2 and will help identify an area where there is a new station and where thousands of new homes and many new businesses are being created."

Judging panel

The organisers said they were looking for designs from internationally recognised artists, sculptors and architects who had "a strong track record of delivering outstanding art projects".

Local residents will also be given the chance to enter a competition to join the judging panel of leading arts experts.

Robyn Pyle, from Land Securities, said: "For the thousands of new and existing residents in the area, it will need to be a work of art which sits naturally in the landscape and complements the new homes and parklands."

The Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is 66ft (20m) high with a wingspan of 178ft (54m).