London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a plan to move London's city hall facilities from their current location within the Norman Foster-designed "glass gonad" building to the Wilkinson Eyre Architects-designed Crystal building in the city's Docklands district.
The Foster building is a privately-owned facility that costs the Greater London Authority, the regional government for London and surrounding boroughs, an estimated £11.1million per year to rent. The building's colloquial name was given to the facilities by former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who is now Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The move comes as the London struggles to pay for essential services, including public transportation and firefighting services, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the move, Khan tells The Huffington Post, “My first priority will always be to protect funding for front-line services, including public transport, the Met Police and the London Fire Brigade,” adding, “Leaving our current home would save £55m over five years, which would help us to protect and invest in the things that matter most to Londoners, as well as supporting the regeneration of the Royal Docks.”
1 Comment
This seems crazy. Not the money-saving aspect, but the fact that the proposed new location is way out in East London. Shouldn't your city hall be at least somewhat "central" ? A 30-minute DLR ride from the square-mile city center hardly seems reasonable ...
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.