London Garden Bridge officially scrapped after £37m of public money is 'wasted'

The plan to build a £200m tree-covered bridge over the River Thames has officially been abandoned after the London mayor pulled funding for the project.

The Garden Bridge Trust today said it “no choice” but to cancel the controversial project, having failed to raise private funds since losing the support of the Sadiq Khan in April.

The Garden Bridge was first proposed by the actor Joanna Lumley to former major Boris Johnson in 2014, but proved a divisive subject among Londoners.

At least £37.4m of public money had already been spent on the project, with a further £9m at risk, before Khan pulled the plug on funding.

In January, it was revealed that the chancellor George Osborne, who is editor of the Evening Standard — a vociferous supporter of the project — promised Johnson funding for the project without correct scrutiny from the Department for Transport.

The National Audit Office concluded that the project would probably have been blocked had the proposal gone through normal channels.

In a letter to Mr Khan, Lord Davies, the trust’s chairman, said: “We are incredibly sad that we have not been able to make the dream of the Garden Bridge a reality and that the mayor does not feel able to continue with the support he initially gave us.

“The Garden Bridge would have been a unique place; a beautiful new green space in the heart of London, free to use and open to all, showcasing the best of British talent and innovation.”

Khan initially poured cold water on the plans during his mayoral campaign when he promised, if elected, to reconsider funding for the project.

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In February, he said that “given previous expenditure, the taxpayer will be better off if the bridge is built”, but later announced plans to pull public funding.

The project’s backers included architect Lord Rogers and Olympic designer Thomas Heatherwick, who drew up plans for the bridge.

“I have been clear since before I became mayor that no more London taxpayers’ money should be spent on this project and when I took office I gave the Garden Bridge Trust time to try and address the multiple serious issues with it,” Khan said.

“Londoners will, like me, be very angry that London taxpayers have now lost tens of millions of pounds – committed by the previous mayor on a project that has amounted to nothing.”

The initial proposal raised many questions about how public the bridge would after documentation revealed that groups of eight or more people would need prior permission to cross, suggesting a ticketing system.

The report also said said that cyclists would have dismount before crossing the bridge, and that it would be shut at night.