§ Baroness Thorntonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the final shortlist for the proposed uses for the Millennium Dome after the Millennium Celebrations will be announced. [HL2496]
§ The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)The Government has announced today that two proposals have been selected to go through to the final stage of the competition. Detailed proposals and indicative financial offers were invited from the bids shortlisted in January. These two bids were chosen from a strong field of the five bids remaining in the competition.
The bids in the final shortlist are Dome Europe, an advanced leisure, business and retail attraction, proposed by the Principal Finance Group of Nomura International plc, and Legacy plc, a high technology industrial campus of workspace, leisure and retail uses, proposed by Robert Bourne.
In reaching this decision, the Government has evaluated the bids against the published criteria and has taken into account the views of umbrella organisations in the area and the public responses to a national consultation exercise held in April. Details of the public consultation results have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
We will now work with the bidders to develop these proposals further and will proceed to a decision in the summer on the winning proposal.