§ Viscount Simonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What stage the Government have reached in their consideration of future uses for the Millennium Dome. [HL1915]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonFollowing the end of the last competition in February, the Government are taking comprehensive advice on all aspects of a future Dome sale.
Like many others, including the London Borough of Greenwich, the Government are keen to preserve the benefits of this magnificent structure for Londoners and for the United Kingdom in general, in the context of the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula and more widely.
Advice is being provided by an independent professional team led and managed by English Partnerships on the Government's behalf. This advisory team includes Jones Lang LaSalle, Berwin Leighton and Economic Research Associates.
During and since the Legacy negotiations, English Partnerships have received more than 100 informal expressions of interest for the Dome and for the development of other parts of the Greenwich Peninsula.
The Government are looking at these, and, in parallel, testing the market for other interest in using the Dome. Discussions with a number of key organisations are focused at this stage on a small number of potential uses and will take several weeks to complete.
The process being followed is consistent with professional advice, and with the aim of securing an appropriate use for the Dome which contributes towards the long-term regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula. We expect a buyer to emerge during the course of this year.
It would not be appropriate for me to disclose more details at this stage. Once the market testing has been completed and properly considered, we will announce details of the future process.
In the meantime, the business of NMEC is being wound up in an orderly fashion. The cost of maintaining the Dome is around £0.6 million per month and expected to reduce further.