APPENDIX 31
Memorandum submitted by the Department
of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
INTRODUCTION
1. The Committee has invited written evidence
on, amongst other things:
— Transport to the Millennium Dome.
— The progress of the competition to
determine the future use of the Dome and its surrounds.
— The economic and community impact
of the Dome.
2. This memorandum addresses all three issues.
That part relating to the Dome Legacy competition incorporates
evidence from English Partnerships who—in conjunction with
the New Millennium Experience Company—are managing the competition
on behalf of Government.
THE TRANSPORT
STRATEGY FOR
THE MILLENNIUM
DOME
3. The transport strategy for the Millennium
Experience has proved to be a success with an estimated 97 per
cent of visitors arriving at the Dome by public transport. As
little as 15 per cent of visitors are estimated to be using the
car for any part of their journey. Usage of the three NMEC formal
park and ride sites has, to date, been much lower than originally
anticipated.
Extended Jubilee Line
4. As expected, the Extended Jubilee Line
has proved to be a very popular choice, with around 54 per cent
of Dome visitors opting to use this as their final mode. As is
often the case when bedding a new railway, the line has encountered
some teething problems, especially with signalling. A series of
strengthening works have already improved performance significantly
and will improve it further over the next few months. In the meantime,
London Underground has sought to restrict the duration of any
disruption to a minimum by, for example, increasing the number
of technical support staff in key locations.
Millennium Transit
5. Patronage of the Millennium Transit bus
services has met forecasts and is improving. Unfortunately a number
of software failures with the new guidance system has prevented
the M1 Charlton Millennium Transit from being delivered as a guided
bus system. Efforts continue to resolve these problems, but passenger
safety remains paramount. The Transit buses were deliberately
designed to be flexible, and the service has therefore operated
on the highway since 1 January 2000.
River services
6. Patronage of the dedicated Dome river
services is slightly down on LT's forecasts, but usage has always
expected to vary, according to season and weather, more than any
other mode.
Contingency arrangements
7. The dedicated contingency bus fleet has,
to date, been used, on average, just under once a week. The buses
have been used to good effect and have proved to offer a flexible
and rapid resource whenever problems have occurred.
PROGRESS OF
THE DOME
LEGACY COMPETITION
Introduction
8. This part of the memorandum should be
read in conjunction with the memorandum provided by the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which primarily addresses
current activities at the Dome and other Millennium Experience
issues.
9. The background to the competition and
the regeneration context of the Dome and its surroundings were
explained in the Department's memorandum to the Select Committee's
third inquiry, the report of which was produced in March 1999.
Work continues to progress well on the rest of the Greenwich Peninsula
development, including the start of construction on the Greenwich
Millennium Village. The Government remains keen to ensure that
any future use of the Dome will reinforce and complement these
wider regeneration initiatives, while supporting its commitment
to innovation and to sustainable transport.
Progress to date in the Competition
10. As indicated before, the evaluation
criteria to be used by the Government in assessing proposals are:
— Consideration (financial).
— Commercial and Environmental Sustainability.
11. Outline proposals were received from
nine bidders on 29 October 1999. An additional late proposal was
received from Nomura during November. Acceptance of such a late
proposal was allowed for within the rules of the competition and
no timetables were altered as a consequence.
12. The 10 outline proposals were evaluated
against the key assessment criteria at that stage of the competition—the
nature and quality of the proposals and the strength of the bidder
team. On 17 January 2000 Ministers announced the selection of
six proposals to go forward into the next stage of the competition.
The six proposals were (using the bidders' own descriptions):
— City of the Future, a theme park
centred on the use of technology, proposed by Monex Leisure Ltd
and MEPC plc.
— Dome Europe, a high technology leisure,
business and retail destination, proposed by the Principal Finance
Group of Nomura International plc.
— Greenwich Media World, a high profile
mixed use leisure and business destination focused on media and
communications, proposed by a consortium comprising Pell Frischmann,
London Merchant Securities, Sir Robert McAlpine, WestLB Panmure
Ltd and The Tussauds Group.
— International Merchandise and Cultural
Centre, a global one-stop shop for exchanging goods, services
and tourism promotions, proposed by a consortium comprising Country
Heights Holdings Berhad, Sunrise Berhad and Maccon Investment
Holdings (Proprietary) Ltd.
— Legacy plc, a high technology industrial
campus of workspace, leisure and retail uses, proposed by Robert
Bourne.
— Sports Dome 2001, an advanced multiple
sports facility, proposed by a consortium comprising John Taylor
International Ltd, Chelsfield Plc, Collard Grosvenor and Price
Nicholson.
13. These six bidders were invited to submit
detailed proposals and indicative financial offers by 31 March.
The bidders were told that their bids would be evaluated against
the published criteria, and that they should give detailed consideration
to reducing to a minimum the down time between the end of the
Millennium Experience and the new use, and to long term public
access to the Dome and surrounding land.
14. In February, the Monex/MEPC consortium
announced that it was withdrawing from the competition for business
reasons.
15. During early March the remaining five
bidders met with and discussed their proposals with representatives
of community groups, business and the local authorities in Greenwich
and east London. Separate presentations were made to councillors
from the London Borough of Greenwich, and bidders were required
to show evidence of close liaison with officers from LBG.
16. Five detailed proposals were received
on 31 March. These were evaluated by the competition team against
the published criteria and the results put to Ministers in early
May, together with the recommendations of English Partnerships,
NMEC and the Millennium Commission, the public consultation responses,
the preliminary views of the LBG's Director of Strategic Planning
and the views of the umbrella bodies consulted throughout the
competition.
17. On 16 May Ministers announced the final
shortlist of two bidders: Dome Europe and Legacy plc.
Consultation
18. A national public consultation exercise
was launched by Hilary Armstrong and Lord Falconer on 7 April.
This invited comments on the five proposals between 8 and 24 April,
and was accompanied by substantial pre-publicity for the three
public displays in Greenwich, Stratford and central London (English
Partnerships' offices at Buckingham Palace Road), and a national
website for viewing the proposals and submitting views. Some 30,000
copies of the consultation brochure—attached as Annex 1
(not printed)—were distributed.
19. Despite good media coverage the public
response was limited, with only some 180 people submitting comments.
An analysis of the responses is attached as Annex 2 (not printed).
The Competition Timetable
20. Dome Europe and Legacy plc have been
asked to submit Best and Final Offers by 23 June, together with
planning applications ready for submission to the London Borough
of Greenwich. Until that time, the competition team will be engaged
in detailed negotiations with the bidders, with the objective
of maximising the value of the proposals to the public.
21. A decision will be announced in the
summer.
THE ECONOMIC
AND COMMUNITY
IMPACT OF
THE DOME
22. The evaluation criteria for the Dome
Legacy competition are designed to maximise the public benefits
of the Legacy use taking place within and around the Dome. In
particular, the bids are evaluated against their potential to
deliver long-term, sustainable, regeneration—economically,
physically and socially.
23. The formal evaluation of the bids against
these criteria considers a wide range of features, including jobs,
environmental improvements and compliance with the Government
policy objective of reducing car dependency and maximising use
of public transport. The London Borough of Greenwich and local
and east London umbrella bodies have been consulted throughout
on the proposals and bidders have been encouraged to meet with
these organisations.
24. The final stage negotiations with bidders
seeks, amongst other things, to provide more detailed information
and evidence from the bidders on the regeneration and community
benefits offered by their proposals. Bidders are also required
to liaise closely with the London Borough of Greenwich over their
planning proposals.
25. Much of the long-term economic value
of the Dome can only be measured in future years, and it needs
to be looked at in the context of the Greenwich Peninsula and
more widely. DETR has begun the task of evaluating the regeneration
benefits of the Greenwich Peninsula developments in a research
project entitled "Greenwich Peninsula Developments: Base-line
and Interim Evaluation". A copy of the final report is attached
as Annex 3 (not printed), together with the executive summary.
26. This research project does not consider
the Dome in isolation, but as a key feature of the ongoing development
and regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula. Nevertheless, it
contains some findings which relate more specifically to the value
of the Dome itself, especially as a catalyst for future development.
The Dome Legacy competition seeks to achieve an outcome which
will build upon the foundations already laid in the improved transport
infrastructure and other developments on the Greenwich Peninsula,
in a way which optimises the use of land and maximises the benefits
for local people and more widely.
May 2000
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