PalenqueBob

I often take the Docklands Railway when in London and at times get off at Canary Wharf and gaze over the Thames to North Greenwich to ponder the sad visage of the ill-fated Millennium Dome, now forlornly sitting in a desolate area.

The Dome was built, like the fabulously successful Eye Over London Ferris Wheel, as a Millennium Project by the Blair government, one of many such projects all over the U.K. to help fulfill Blair's 'Cool Britannia' vision.

The huge inflatable,i believe, white Dome was erected, i believe (i'm not sure of all the details and welcome corrections) was erected to house some kind of World's Fair showcasing British technology, etc. Grandiose plans involved construction of a special new Tube stop - North Greenwich in expectations of the hoardes of folks who would flock here.

To cut the story short the affair and the Dome was a huge flop, not only the fair but afterward as it still sits as a monumental White elephant ridiculed by Torries as 'One of Tony's Follies'. Several plans have been formulated and dropped for its use - and i don't know currently what is planned for the place.

But creative suggestions for its use abound perhaps - here's mine - since the threat of Global Warming has Londoners in a tizzy each summer as AC is still the exception here, we could make the Dome a cooling center in hot weather - the Tube stop making it easy to get here.

What do you think the Dome could be used for?

Tulips

I think it should be used for the London Olympics; can't believe that they would not do something with this. Then make it a large indoor sports centre afterwards; roller blading, skateboard; a fun sports complex for London's kids.

audere_est_facere

it is a venue for the olympics - gymnastics and boxing i think (not at once of course)

PalenqueBob

gosh - i forgot all about the Olympics - a natural for that - close to Stratford by DLR too.

PatrickLondon

Not inflatable - the roofing's held up by the crown of uprights. And not wishing to ignite old rows, this government inherited the project, which was well under way.

But be that as it may, it was all part of a local regeneration plan - eco-housing and all the rest of it. The last I heard, it was taken over by Anschutz for an entertainment complex including a sports/concert stadium (they already had a smaller shed of a venue on the other side of the river, which has already been torn down for housing to be built on the site). They're also in the market for the super-casino licence the government seems incomprehensibly keen to allow.

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audere_est_facere

They gave Prescott a cowboy hat. That's all you really need to know.

willit

What to do with it ? Turn it upside down and to collect the rain and use it as a reservoir. The South needs the water (Although you wouldn't think so looking outside)

Josser

To be fair, people who actually went there seemed to enjoy it.
It got off to a very bad start.
There was a security scare at Stratford station on the opening night and lots of journalists arrived too late for drinks.
That brings out the beast in yer average journo and all the papers panned it.

PalenqueBob

PatrickLondon - yes i was remiss to say Tony's Folly - i got that off when i was riding a train from Royal Tunbridge Wells to Charing X and in my 1st class compartment was an upper upper crust family - the teen boy was going to the tony Tonbridge school and they were talking about their estate in Scotland - anyway led me to believe their were probably Torries and when the father glimpsed the Dome, he told his kids "There's another one of Tony's Follies" referring of course to T Blair. But i know Patrick is correct in correcting me on this. I guess in actuality it was a Major blunder!

PatrickLondon

Well, it was more a case of politicians being bedazzled by a starry architect - and the area was more or less derelict.