National land charity the Land Trust has launched an international competition to find the most inspirational design and funding team to create a new visitor destination and public open space at the former Cronton Colliery in Knowsley.

The competition is open to architects, landscape architects and architect-led multi-disciplinary design teams and is being run by the Land Trust in association with RIBA Competitions.  The competition will be in two stages, judged anonymously in the first stage.  A shortlist will then be invited to enhance and present their designs and potential funding propositions at interview as part of the second stage.

It is the intention of the Land Trust to identify an architect or team who is able to demonstrate an empathy and understanding of the site based on its past and future contexts, as set out in the brief, and in tune with the vision and values of the Land Trust. 

Explaining the Trust’s decision, the Trust’s chief executive, Euan Hall, commented “The former Cronton Colliery is a fabulous space that has the very real potential to become a magnificent 21st century visitor destination for the North West.
“By working with RIBA on this we are hoping to change the way design teams create schemes of importance in the future. We believe that open spaces have the potential to be the catalyst for change and can impact far more than just the ‘environment’.
“The issue of long-term funding for new schemes is often overlooked but we are hoping that, through this process, we can go some way to changing that mind-set whilst providing a sensationally designed scheme for the local community and visitors to the site.”

The closing date for Stage 1 submissions is 15th February 2012 at 2pm and more details can be found on www.thelandtrust.org.uk/community or www.architecture.com/competitions.