Garden bridge cancelled

[Ceto]

This is such good news. It was nothing more than a ridiculous vanity project/corporate entertainment piece of nonsense that seriously threatened to muck up one of the most glorious view in London. Only an idiot like Boris Johnson would ever have thought it was worth committing public money to it.

[OdinsLoveChild]

I did think it was a little expensive just to chuck a few plants and a bit of grass on.

[PossumInAPearTree]

I thought it was a fab idea....but maybe not the best use of money in times of austerity.

[Goldfishjane]

IT is wonderful news
However they do have some press on their side so I am worried that they will raise enough funds from egomaniacs and do it anyway
Their reponses to Khan and Hodge have been massively egotistical
I think that the whole process should be investigated thoug
There is a lot wrong with procurement that it got this far, that so much was spent already etc etc

[PickAChew]

Yes, it's a lovely (fanciful) idea, but I can't be sad about it not going ahead. if here was a list of Things That Need Implementing, it's a long one and this would be right at the bottom.

[PseudoBadger]

But where has the money already spent gone?

[Pestilentialone]

Well knock me down with a feather.

[PickAChew]

If a load of wealthy people want to fund it privately, then they can feel free.

[PossumInAPearTree]

The Guardian reckons its cost £60million already?

How is that possible when it's not been built?

[Goldfishjane]

Xpost
Possum
Did the ruin of the view across the Thames not bother you? Destruction of mature trees on the South Bank?
The crowding, the waste of resouces, the number of days such a bridge would be closed anyway, you know what with trees and high winds....?

[rosawitch]

good

[rosawitch]

though how much has it cost so far?

[PossumInAPearTree]

I didn't know about the destruction of the trees.

I don't know London that well so no idea what the current view is but thought the sketches of the bridge looked pretty.

Seems most people are happy it won't be happening though. So I guess it's the right decision.

[Goldfishjane]

Money has gone to various firms for design, concrete been put in river already for landing points. Amazing waste of the money but we still have to look at how the system permits it.

Also the Mayor has power of veto over London Assembly members, that's how Boris bulldozed it through. Needs reviewing.

[ExplodedCloud]

Marvellous. Yet more money chucked at a vanity project.

[Goldfishjane]

I can't seem to link to the best differential pics but Londoners will know how much will be lost blocking the view
www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk/current-campaigns/oppose-the-garden-bridge.html

[Ceto]

Why, Possum? There was no conceivable need for the bridge. It would have ruined that lovely view down the Thames; given the existence of London's parks there was no need for an artificially created piece of greenery; they were going to have to control access; and they were going to have to chop down far too many mature trees including the memorial trees on the embankment.

And Khan is right, it is obvious that they were not going to secure private funding because private investors are not stupid, and therefore would have had to receive millions in taxpayers money to bail them out. At a time of austerity cuts, it would have been ludicrous to let the project continue.

[TheAntiBoop]

I'm so happy! Such a vanity project. Boris even admitted his old friend jo Lumley convinced him to do it. How very luvvie

The biggest problem for me though was the ongoing maintenance cost and the fact it would ultimately have become a private space - being hired out for events. And the taxpayer wouldn't have seen a penny of that I bet.

Best thing Khan has done so far! Sensible man. Now if only he would look again at the cycle superhighways....

[Floggingmolly]

Where has the 60 million gone??

[Goldfishjane]

I'm not making up the answers about wgere money went
I have a bunch of correspondence with the mayors office and London assembly
Preconstruction!!
I've been campaigning against this since it got traction
I think there should be a massive investigation, it's one of the biggest scandals of our time and there is nothing in place to stop it happening again

[DancingLedge]

About time

[Goldfishjane]

Oh and tfl and central government - under Osborne - gave millions, which is also public money, can we get some back?

More reading here
www.lbc.co.uk/hot-topics/garden-bridge/lbcs-long-read-the-garden-bridge-124786/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

[Ceto]

The 60 million went on designers, architects, surveyors, lawyers dealing with the planning permission applications, buying some of the land, and wanky models, websites, PR campaigns etc.

[EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans]

Great news. I was furious about the plans to cut down all those beautiful plane trees just for one more bridge. There are eight bridges in that area within a couple of miles already, nine if you count both sides of Hungerford Bridge.

[Ceto]

Good grief, I've just seen the quote from Joanna Lumley saying why she thought this thing was necessary:

*I think we're going to see such a huge regeneration, particularly on the north bank," she told Theo. "Particularly on this huge and terribly grand area, which has somehow got overlooked by London, which is the south side of the Aldwich, the straight side of the Aldwich, The Strand."

How on earth did she get the perception that the Strand is overlooked by London? No-one who is half awake could possibly perceive that to be the case, let alone decide that building another bridge in an area which has already got two perfectly adequate bridges would cause "huge regeneration". And that fool Johnson listened to her. Why is he being left anywhere near any position of responsibility in government?

[eurochick]

I thought it was madness. Central London doesn't need more bridges. If there is money in the pot for another river crossing it is badly needed out to the east, where there is nothing between Blackwall and Dartford.