Plans to build a “world-class” concert hall in London have been thrown into disarray after the government pulled its funding on Friday. The project, which was proposed by the conductor Simon Rattle, was not affordable, the government said.
The former chancellor George Osborne put up £5.5m to produce a detailed business case for the London Concert Hall to be developed. That followed a call from Rattle, who is due to take up the role of principal conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra next year, to build a better facility in London.
But Osborne’s successors in the cabinet have decided that the project, also known as the Centre for Music, does not offer value for money for the taxpayer and is not affordable. It is understood that around £1.25m has been spent so far, with the rest now returning to the exchequer.
“London is already home to world class culture and music venues, from the iconic Royal Albert Hall to the Barbican Hall and the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre,” a government spokesman said.
“[It] provided funding to consider the business case for a new London concert hall to add to this mix, but has concluded that it does not currently offer value for money for taxpayers and is not affordable. Therefore it will no longer fund contributions to this project. We know this will disappoint those who are working hard to deliver this project and we wish them well with developing alternative plans for financing.”
Mark Boleat, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, said: “This is very disappointing news. We believe the government should have waited to see whether a business case could have been developed before making this announcement.”
A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “This is bad news for London. World-class cities need world-class music venues like the Centre for Music. This looks like a vote of no confidence in London from the government.”
