His deputy leader London The total cost of a 25-meter-high man-made mountain in the middle of one of the capital’s busiest tourist areas has almost doubled to 6 million pounds, and the city council has resigned.
A refund has been provided to Marble Arch, by Westminster City Council The day after it was opened to the public on July 26, the authorities claimed that the attraction had “dental problems” and the complaint was still under construction.
The leader of the committee, Rachael Robathan, said in a statement on Friday that her deputy Melvyn Caplan resigned immediately after rising costs were “completely unacceptable”.
“The mound opened too early, and we apologize for that,” Ms. Robatan said.
“Obviously, the cost has risen more than expected, which is totally unacceptable. Our initial forecast cost was 3.3 million pounds. Now the total cost is 6 million pounds, covering all aspects of the project: construction, operation and final demolition.
“I regret to accept the resignation of my deputy leader, Melvyn Caplan, who led the Mound project. We also initiated a thorough internal review to understand what went wrong and ensure it It doesn’t happen again.”
The 25-meter-high mound planned by the Dutch architect company MVRDV aims to provide a view of the capital Oxford Street Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone.
With the relaxation of blockade restrictions, this is part of a plan to increase traffic in shopping areas.
Ms. Robatan said on Friday: “We are determined to continue our efforts to restore the vitality of our city, bring back tourists and ensure that people can keep their jobs.”
“It’s never an option to do nothing. So when the mound is fully reopened in September, I hope people will come and see for themselves. The mound may make people happy or disagree, that’s okay, but we believe in the end It will fulfil its original mission-to bring people back to West end And remind them why this is a world-class city. “
The City Council announced on Friday that the mound tickets originally scheduled to open in January 2022 will be open in August for free.
Mr. Kaplan has been a councillor of Little Venice district since 1990, and Conservative Also the former leader of the committee.
