The fate of the Millennium Dome could have been solved by an unexpected move to Swindon 📁According to newly released Downing Street papers.
The enthusiastic, if somewhat sketchy, proposal suggested the relocated venue would be a “major new public facility” dedicated to exhibiting and researching “sustainability” and acting as a hub for a new industrial revolution. In a three-page letter to Mr Blair, Mr Sharp cheerfully acknowledged that he had no idea whether the plan – involving the wholescale relocation of a structure some 365m in diameter and 52m high – was technically feasible.
The proposal is likely to have been received well in some corners of Whitehall. Separate documents show that ministers dealing with the future of the Dome were presented with calculations showing that by far the best financial outcome would be to clear the Greenwich Peninsula site and sell it for development, garnering up to £180m for the public purse.
However, Mr Sharp’s proposals ultimately fell on stony ground. The Science Museum was advised that the Dome would be staying put and in December 2001 it was announced that the decision had been taken to develop the venue as an entertainment centre. In 2005, it was renamed the O2 Arena.
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