Plans to build a temporary massive 25-metre-high grass-covered mound at Marble Arch to attract shoppers back to Oxford Street have come under scrutiny from Westminster Labour Councillors who have written to the Council to ask for details of the following:

• The estimated cost of the installation and removal of the temporary ‘mound’ at Marble Arch
• How many visitors a day are expected?
• What will be the cost per visitor?
• How will booking be arranged?
• Will there be access for visitors with disabilities?
• How long will the mound take to install and remove?
• Where will construction traffic be routed?
• What is the estimated number of lorries needed to carry the materials required to install and remove the mound?
• What are the environmental costs of installing a massive amount of earth and planting greenery on it for a temporary period, only for it to be dismantled within six months?

Councillor Pancho Lewis, West End Ward councillor, said:

“In addition to the logistical, operational and financial questions that need answering, we also need to understand the environmental cost. This is a big undertaking and involves transporting masses of materials, only for it to be dismantled within half a year. We need transparency and answers on these questions.”

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour City Management spokesperson, said:

“The future of Oxford Street is of critical importance to the Westminster economy and to tens of thousands of jobs of local residents. We need to think imaginatively and we also need to have proper regard to the practicalities and the impact on surrounding residential areas, as well as keeping a close eye on the costs involved. It is important that the Council is totally transparent about the costs and logistics involved in building and removing this temporary mound.”