Call for answers on 'flopped' Marble Arch Mound attraction

Labour councillors have called for an investigation into the Marble Arch Mound after London's new tourist attraction "spectacularly flopped".

The £2m viewing platform, commissioned by Westminster City Council, was temporarily closed two days after opening following numerous complaints.

The opposition party say they want answers to "ensure the fiasco is not repeated".

Westminster Council apologised and admitted mistakes had been made.

Visitors to the new attraction had labelled it a "slag heap" and dubbed the mound "London's worst tourist attraction," the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Westminster Labour leader Adam Hug said: "There are some basic questions that the council needs to answer about what went wrong with its decision making and project management.

"These are questions [that] must be answered now but Labour believes there needs to be an independent investigation of what happened to ensure this fiasco isn't repeated."

Labour has asked about future funding for the project which it said "spectacularly flopped" and has asked whether tax payers will have to make up for visitor shortfall.

Organisers hoped the mound would attract 200,000 ticket holders with "millions expected to pass through the area to take a glimpse of the attraction" before it is taken down in January 2022.

The attraction has now become free to visit in August after its plants and grass began to die.

Westminster Council CEO Stuart Love said: "We wanted to open the mound in time for the summer holidays and we did not want to disappoint people who had already booked tickets. We made a mistake and we apologise to everyone who hasn't had a great experience on their visit.

"We are working hard to resolve the outstanding issues and create an attraction worthy of our fantastic city."

The project has raised concerns about whether other high profile projects by the council will also fall short, including the £150m redevelopment of Oxford Street.