Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

A £200m plan to build a bridge covered with trees across the River Thames in central London has officially been abandoned.

A review of the project said £37.4m had been spent and it would cost taxpayers £46.4m if it was cancelled.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40921373

£37.4m spent on what? Consultants of course..... :mad::mad::mad::td::td::td:

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

A obscene waste of money.:(

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

London never needed a vanity project garden bridge, what it's needed for decades is at least 1 new bridge/crossing east of Tower Bridge. Maybe it'll happen one day...

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Just to add, I reckon there ought to be an inquiry into how a process such as this can cost c. £50m before a single hole is dug. I'm sure a lot of consultants have been involved but it's a hell of a lot of money and I'd love to know what it all went on. :shrug:

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Public funds were used for this fiasco and the public has a right to know exactly where those funds disappeared to and that should happen with every pound of public funds with some recourse on the politicians that routinely pee it up any wall and those company's that make ridiculous profits from it often with little or no real work done for the money.

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Source

FGS full scale prototypes? What happened to computer modelling.:rolleyes:

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

It was too cheap?... Grrr...

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

I blame Corbyn - surely, must be, somehow. Surprised he's not been mentioned already ;)

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

I can just hear it:

"I say old boy there's a fantastic contract up in London to build a kind of bridgy thing covered in greenery. You only need to make some kind of model thingy in a quarry, spoof up some plans and submit the invoice for £millions. Nobody checks and they pay out on the dot. Absolute cinch, Bolly's on you."

:D

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Wonder what Joanna Lumley thinks about this huge waste of money.

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Pass the Bolly and where's the player's got to?

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Incredible how so much could have been spent - on WHAT?

Were they allowed to push too far ahead into the design process.

Before actually getting into preparing to build, all that was really needed was a realistic cost estimate, and some concept designs of how the top will look, and what keeps it up, now that may have needed running some numbers etc.

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

Nice 'work' if you can get it eh?

Methinks there's a bit of a cosy 'club' involving politicians, celebrity luvvies and consultants who rather like supporting eachother...

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

I assumed this was the result of an inquiry or investigation?

I didn't actually mind the Garden Bridge. Sort of a waste, London needs other bridges and Crossrail 2 more, but at least it was some sign of building something and a cool tourist spot. But it entered the UK infrastructure zone which means nothing ever gets done, people argue for years, spend a lot of money and then call the whole thing off. There were stupid plans to involve private funding and then questions over who would own the bridge (it should be London). Then it would be one of those areas that are privately owned but allow public access which is stupid and also means they could theoretically shut off access. Stupid all around.

That stupid sky lift thing was a waste of money too. No one wants to go from the joys of the O2 car park to the dazzling lights of the EXCEL centre. A piece of infrastructure designed solely, it seems, for event attendees who have a concert to go in the evening. You put cable cars where there is something to see, not over industrial land. I think they literally have a handful of regular users.

Re: Garden Bridge Cancelled
 

No, definitely the fault of a Clinton. :)

Actually, the blame/credit (like the new Routemaster buses and the Emirates AirLine) was down to BoJo. He signed off on the preliminary funding. If the bridge's operational costs were self-funding then I'm sure it would have happened but because it looked loss-making and would always require a subsidy its chances in a cash-strapped GLA regardless of party looked slim.
But whilst BoJo's various ideas on paper did not make money, they have contributed to a more vibrant London which attracts tourists so doubtless the Garden Bridge would have done the same. But giving the contract to friendly architects outside regular tendering rules etc set the project up for a fall.