Some love it, others loathe it but the prospective Garden Bridge stretching from near Temple station to the Southbank Centre has certainly got Londoners talking.
The project is the brainchild of Joanna Lumley and is backed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson despite issues regarding public funding.
The Garden Bridge Trust (GBT) released a fact vs fiction document aiming to clear up some of the contentious issues surrounding the plan.
The GBT report revealed that more than 65% of the capital costs to build the bridge will be raised from the private sector.
It read: “More than £125 million has been pledged already and there is a business plan to cover the £3.5 million annual maintenance and operations costs.
“Transport for London and the government have together contributed £60 million in total.”
The annual maintenance costs are a major source of contention – the Guardian revealed last month that the public will be liable for the costs, although this is something Johnson denies.
Another bone of contention is whether London actually needs the feature, with critics worried it could become an expensive white elephant.
In response to this the report reads: “The Garden Bridge is a world first and highlight’s Britain’s innovation and creativity.
“It is created by some of Britain’s leading designers and engineers and showcases the best of British talent, offering people the chance to get involved in gardening and horticulture, as well as posing new employment and business opportunities.
“It will also transform how we travel across the River Thames and through central London and improve the pedestrian environment and public realm.”
The document also reveals that the bridge will have 2,500sqm garden with 2,000 shrubs, hedging plants and climbers, more than 22,000 hardy perennials, ferns and grasses and 64,000 bulbs.
It remains to be seen whether critics of the Garden Bridge will be convinced by the document’s release.
To see the document in full visit https://www.gardenbridge.london/questions-answers/fact-fiction
Images courtesy of Arup, with thanks
