Marble Arch Mound: Pulling down the tourist attraction cost £660,000

The cost of dismantling the Marble Arch Mound was £660,000, Westminster Council has confirmed.

The £6m artificial hill opened incomplete, over budget and led to resignations before the decision was taken to pull it down.

Westminster council had hoped to attract visitors back to the heart of the city and said the scheme "drew in crowds".

It opened in July last year and closed in January.

Westminster Labour group which obtained the figures, condemned the scheme as a "monumental folly".

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, said the Mound had "proved a disaster from start to finish".

He said the "financial incompetence" was linked to cuts of £500,000 to adult social services and the threat of closing Mayfair Library to save £200,000 a year in rent.

Cllr Dimoldenberg added: "Boris Johnson's Westminster Conservatives are completely out of touch with what residents want.

"Wasting £6 million of public money should disqualify the Conservatives from running the council for a moment longer."

The attraction was branded a "monstrosity" and a "disgrace" on social media while a New York Times headline read: "Londoners Were Promised a Hill With a View. They Got a Pile of Scaffolding."

Westminster Council's deputy leader Melvyn Caplan, who was responsible for the project, resigned from his role after total costs nearly tripled from an initial forecast of £2m.

The mound was mocked on social media and in the press as plants dislodged and cascaded down the slopes while its young trees struggled in the summer heat.

Senior council officers hid details and lied about how much money the mound would make and there was a basic lack of project management, a report found in October.

Debbie Jackson, Westminster City Council Executive Director for Growth, Planning and Housing, said the cost of dismantling was part of the £6 million overall spend.

She said: "The Marble Arch Mound drew in crowds and supported the recovery in the West End.

"Around 250,000 visits were made to see The Mound and the terrific light exhibition over the six-month period.

"Those visitors went on to spend money in shops, bars and restaurants across the West End - helping local businesses to get back on their feet."

Westminster Conservative group has also been contacted for comment.

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