This week, a furious letter to the council from Westminster’s 23 highly organised amenity societies – neighbourhood residents’ forums in some of the borough’s poshest, traditionally Tory-voting, areas – blamed the scandal on the council’s failure to listen to local people, saying it was “hardly surprising” the mound had failed. So in terms of offering something with a wow factor, which is what they were hoping for, it falls down on every level.” “It didn’t seem to be landscaped in terms of design or its functionality, it was just a big bit of grass with a staircase on it. Ian Mell, reader in environmental and landscape planning at the University of Manchester, says pop up visitor attractions can work, but the mound always seemed to be a gimmick. “And it’s made Westminster a laughing stock.” He blames the fiasco on what he sees as the council’s arrogance and hubris, steamrollering the project through without proper public consultation. “It’s been a disaster from the start,” said Pancho Lewis, Labour’s first councillor for Westminster’s affluent Mayfair ward. Amid the furore, the council’s deputy leader, Melvyn Caplan, resigned. By early August, however, there were “teething problems”. Of this, £2m would be recouped, the bulk through ticket sales to an estimated 280,000 visitors. Instead, it has been mocked as “Teletubby hill”.Īs recently as May, the council reported the mound’s total build and operating costs would be £3.3m. Or even Paris’ Promenade Plantée, a three-mile green stroll along a 19th-century viaduct. The council had hoped the temporary 25-metre-high artificial hill, built on the corner of Oxford Street and Hyde Park with views across London, could become the capital’s version of New York’s High Line. Those visitors have gone on to spend money in shops, bars and restaurants across the West End – helping local businesses to get back on their feet.‘A big bit of grass with a staircase on it.’ Photograph: Ian West/PA ‘MVRDV’s unique, creative concept helped to ensure that over 250,000 visitors came to Westminster to see the Mound and the terrific light exhibition inside. With footfall slashed and near-total loss of overseas tourists many businesses have faced oblivion. Central London’s economy has suffered more than any other area during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, the council continues to argue that the Marble Arch Mound was a success.Ī spokesperson told the AJ earlier this month: ‘We are pleased that, with support, the Mound has done what it was built to do – drawn crowds and supported the recovery in the West End. In October, an internal review carried out by the council found a ‘lack of effective governance, grip and oversight’ with respect to the procurement of the Mound. But MVRDV was appointed directly and the council claimed that the value ‘was below the thresholds above which a public competition is required under the Public Contracts Regulations’. MVRDV said its involvement was limited from this point on and it was 'increasingly ignored' by the local authority.Īccording to its procurement code, Westminster should invite a minimum of three suppliers to give quotes for contracts worth £10,000 and over, including a quote from a supplier who is based in the borough, an SME or a social enterprise. This meant the ‘lush grass and shrub slopes’ first proposed were replaced by sedum and flowers. MVRDV's original design which projected over the Marble Arch, with a protective, 25m-high roofscape and an internal staircase that would allow visitors 'to see the monument in a way they never could before'Īs a result, the scheme was moved to a neighbouring plot with a smaller footprint, steeper slopes and a lower peak.
0 kommentar(er)
