Garden Bridge Trust/Fran Edwards/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - A project to build a pedestrian bridge covered in vegetation across the River Thames in central London was scrapped on Monday with Mayor Sadiq Khan and his predecessor Boris Johnson trading accusations over the costly failure. "The Garden Bridge Trust, the charity established to build and run the proposed Garden Bridge in central London, today announced that it will be winding up the project. “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 to address the multiple serious issues with it.”

The ambitious project, designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick, was first unveiled in 2013 as the result of a competition held by Transport for London. On 28 April, Sadiq Khan wrote to Lord Mervyn Davies, Chairman of the Garden Bridge Trust, stating that he was not prepared to sign the guarantee for the annual maintenance costs of the Bridge, a condition of planning consent, despite previous assurances given about his support for the project. Unfortunately, the benefactor concerned and the Trustees have all concluded that they cannot proceed with what was always designed to be a public project in the heart of the capital without the support of the Mayor of London. “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.”

Khan officially withdrew support for the project earlier this year, citing soaring construction costs and potential maintenance issues outlined in an April report conducted by Labour MP Margaret Hodge. “We had made great progress - obtaining planning permission, satisfying most of our planning conditions and we had raised £70m of private money towards the project. "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," Lord Davies said. "It is all the more disappointing because the trust was set up at the request of TfL (Transport for London), the organisation headed up by the mayor, to deliver the project. “It is a sad day for London because it is sending out a message to the world that we can no longer deliver such exciting projects.”
The Garden Bridge project is officially abandoned after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan withdraws support.