Diana fountain criticised in MP report

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain has been criticised by a committee of MPs as "ill-conceived".

The fountain, which opened in London's Hyde Park in 2004, was plagued by problems. It closed just days after opening, due to flooding, and then was closed again later that month after some visitors slipped and injured themselves while paddling. The fountain eventually re-opened in May last year.

The Public Accounts Committee said that the project was poorly managed and cost too much. The Royal Parks Agency now pays £250,000 per year to maintain the site.

Edward Leigh, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said: "This so-called water feature will literally be a drain on the resources of the Royal Parks Agency for years to come."

The government admitted that there were "teething problems" with the fountain, largely caused by overwhelming visitor numbers after it opened. However, it said that the problems had been resolved and that the fountain was now "operating smoothly".

A statement released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "The memorial is extremely popular. It is a fitting tribute to the Princess of Wales, a place of remembrance and contemplation for the public.

"Around 800,000 people have visited the fountain since it re-opened in May 2005 and we expect many more to do so in the future, putting it among the UK's top visitor attractions.

"The costs of building the memorial reflect that it is built to last, of high quality Cornish granite that will still be standing in 200 years. Large numbers of visitors enjoy the memorial free of charge and its maintenance costs amount to only around 25p per visitor."

The government also said that a new management team had now been put in place by the Royal Parks Agency, which had made "significant improvements" to the management of the memorial and to visitor access.

Don Foster, Liberal Democrat culture spokesperson, said that the fountain was "increasingly looking like a 21st century folly by 'incapability Brown'". He said: "While the fountain is only dribbling, taxpayers' money is gushing out of the Royal Parks' accounts."

(KMcA/GB)