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Sadiq Khan would scrap controversial 'garden bridge' if elected

The Labour party’s London mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, has said he would scrap Boris Johnson’s controversial ‘garden bridge’ scheme, if he was successful in next year’s election.

Khan said the project, which has secured £60m of public funding, “no longer represents value for money.”

The bookies’ favourite to replace Johnson said he will use the money to fund the pedestrianisation of London’s Oxford Street instead.

He said: “In principle I love the idea of the Garden Bridge, but what we were sold is a long way from the reality we now face,”

“It has become another of Boris Johnson’s white elephant projects – like the Cable Car which is used by few at the cost of millions of pounds.

“I believe it no longer represents value for money. This was supposed to be an entirely privately funded project… but the overall cost has tripled, and £60 million is being paid for out of the public purse, with a possible maintenance cost of £3.5 million a year – for a bridge which will often be closed to the public for private events and won’t be open overnight.”

The Garden Bridge, which was given mayoral approval in December, was designed by landscape designer, Dan Pearson, and would be home to more than 270 trees and 2,000 shrubs and climbing plant.

The plans for the crossing, which could stretch between the South Bank and Temple tube station, have been questioned by campaigners who won the right to challenge Lambeth Council’s approval of the construction.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .