Marble Arch Mound: Charges scrapped
Since it reopened for free, 60,000 people have climbed the controversial man-made mountain
Last updated 1st Sep 2021
Charges to visit the infamous Marble Arch Mound have been scrapped for good.
Westminster City Council has agreed to permanently axe fees for the £6 million pop-up attraction, which cost triple its original budget.
A council spokesperson said:
“We built the Mound to bring people back into the West End at a time when low footfall continues to have a negative effect on businesses and jobs in the area.
“It’s encouraging that, since it’s been free to climb, over 60,000 people have visited.
“We believe continuing to offer free entry will encourage even more people to visit and spend time in our city – boosting local business, protecting jobs and bringing the buzz back to our streets.”
The attraction was made free for August after it was forced to close just two days after opening on July 28.
Fees of £4.50 per adult were expected to be reintroduced on September 1 but the council has now decided to make visits free until it closes in January 2022.
Recent visitors to the structure have dubbed it a “BTEC Eiffel Tower” and “London’s worst tourist attraction”.
The mound was designed by Dutch architects MVRDV with the aim of giving views of Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone.
Organisers hoped it would attract 200,000 punters with “millions expected to pass through the area to take a glimpse of the attraction”.
But the 25m-high artificial hill has drawn wide criticism after it opened before its café and exhibition were built and dead plants dropped off the side.
The Tory-led council’s deputy leader Melvyn Caplan resigned in August after it was revealed that the mound would cost three times its initial £2 million budget.
Labour councillor Paul Dimoldenberg recently listed ways the council could have spent £6 million in a letter to the Westminster Extra newspaper.
He calculated the same amount could have filled 120,000 potholes in the borough and employed 40 newly qualified nurses for five years.
Council’s leader Rachael Robathan said in a statement on August 12 that Cllr Caplan had resigned with immediate effect after a “totally unacceptable” rise in costs.
She added:
“The mound opened too early, and we have apologised for that.
“It has become clear that costs have risen more than anticipated and that is totally unacceptable.
“Our original forecast cost was £3.3 million. Total costs are now £6million, covering every aspect of the project: construction, operation and eventual removal.”
Westminster council is conducting an internal investigation into the process which led to the mound being built.
The authority has rejected calls for an independent review of the matter.