London's Garden Bridge plan scrapped over mayor's lack of support
LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A project to build a pedestrian bridge covered in vegetation across the River Thames in central London was scrapped on Monday after Mayor Sadiq Khan voiced concerns about its financial viability and refused to spend any further public funds on it.
Strongly supported by the British capital's previous mayor, Boris Johnson, the Garden Bridge was presented by its creators as an oasis of calm and greenery that would draw tourists and showcase British design and innovation.
But numerous critics denounced it as an extravagance that would bring little benefit to Londoners and divert public money from higher priorities such as housing and transport.
Originally estimated at 60 million pounds ($78 million), the project was likely to end up costing over 200 million, according to an independent review commissioned by Khan.
Over 37 million pounds in public funds was spent on it during Johnson's time at City Hall, while the not-for-profit trust running the project had secured 69 million pounds in private funding pledges, but lost several major donors.
The trust's chairman, Mervyn Davies, said it had concluded that without mayoral support the project could not be delivered.
"It is a sad day for London because it is sending out a message to the world that we can no longer deliver such exciting projects," he said.
Khan has criticised a lack of transparency in how contracts to design and build the bridge were awarded during Johnson's time as mayor and said he did not want to saddle London taxpayers with potentially unlimited costs to fund the bridge.
"Londoners will, like me, be very angry that London taxpayers have now lost tens of millions of pounds – committed by the previous mayor on a project that has amounted to nothing," he said on Monday.
Johnson's term as mayor ended in May 2016 and he is now foreign affairs minister. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Garden Bridge was championed by the actress Joanna Lumley, an A-list celebrity in Britain who is known for her role in the comedy TV programme "Absolutely Fabulous".
The design contract had been awarded to Thomas Heatherwick, who previously designed the "cauldron" that carried the Olympic flame during the London 2012 games, and a new model of double-decker bus.
"London needs new bridges and unexpected new public places," Heatherwick said in a statement. "The Garden Bridge has not found its right moment, but I hope one day it will." ($1 = 0.7711 pounds) (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Michael Holden)