12/26/2023 0 Comments Marble arch moundWestminster Council has said in a statement: "The Mound is a living building by design. The attraction is scheduled to close in January 2022. It has since been confirmed by the council that the mound is not actually quite ready and bookings are no longer being taken for visits before 2 August. The Mound promised to offer "a new perspective" and aimed to entice shoppers back to Oxford Street, but the delivery has somewhat fallen flat. Marble Arch Mound is a £2m temporary installation commissioned by Westminster Council, designed to give visitors a "unique opportunity to look out over the area".Īfter its opening earlier this week, paying customers who arrived to visit the 25 metres-high attraction, constructed by Dutch firm MVDRV, were reportedly underwhelmed and managed to receive refunds from the council. The Mound is due to be deconstructed which will take up to four months and the trees and plants will be reused.The latest addition to London's cultural offer has come in the form of a rather uninspiring man-made hill. Others saw echoes of the Teletubbies set in its green-turfed slopes.Īfter an internal review, Westminster council said it “must learn the lessons of the Mound project” after it had a “lack of sufficient oversight” that led to failings. Some visitors likened the Mound to the blocky video game landscapes of Super Mario 64. The Guardian’s Oliver Wainwright said the attraction did not live up to the CGI plans – “none of the greenery looks happy,” he wrote. 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.”ĭutch architecture company MVRDV drew up the designs for the Mound. The spokesperson added: “We’re really pleased that nearly 250,000 visitors have come 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. “The Mound has done what it was built to do – drawn crowds and supported the recovery in the West End,” a spokesperson said. In a statement ahead of the Mound’s closing on Sunday, the council defended the project. By August last year, nearly a fifth of shops on Oxford Street had closed permanently as a result of the pandemic. Marble Arch Mound is part of Westminster council’s wider £150m investment in the Oxford Street area as the district struggles to redefine itself in the post-Covid era. With regret, I have accepted the resignation of my deputy leader, Melvyn Caplan, who led the Mound project,” Robothan said over the summer. “Total costs are now £6m, covering every aspect of the project: construction, operation and eventual removal. It has become clear that costs have risen more than anticipated and that is totally unacceptable,” Westminster council’s leader, Rachael Robothan, said in a statement after the launch.ĭeputy council leader Melvyn Caplan, the Conservative councillor who took charge of the project, resigned in August. “The Mound opened too early, and we have apologised for that. Plans were drawn up for customers to be charged between £4.50 and £8 to scale the hill, but Westminster council quickly dispensed with the entry fees after describing “teething problems” on its opening. “The idea of getting people back to the West End is a good one, but this was a lesson in how not to do project management – they overpromised and underdelivered.” “The execution was flawed from start to finish,” an insider at Westminster council told the Guardian. The attraction, designed to lure people back to West End shops as lockdown restrictions eased, was initially commissioned for £3.3m, but costs ballooned to £6m.
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