British MPs blast rising cost of Diana memorial

A committee of British MPs has blasted the problem-plagued fountain built as a memorial to Princess Diana.

On Tuesday the British government's House of Commons Public Accounts Committee releasedits report on the finances of the Royal Parks Agency, which runs the eight major parks in London.

In the report, thecommittee charged that the granite, trench-like fountain was "ill-conceived and ill-executed." Located in Hyde Park, the fountain was designed as a tribute to the late Princess of Wales, who was killed in a Paris car accident in 1997. The committee also charged that the project was poorly managed and coordinated by the government and other groups involved.

The parks agency has been "saddled" with the rising costs of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, said Conservative MP Edward Leigh, who chaired the Public Accounts Committee.

"This so-called water feature will literally be a drain on the resources of the Royal Parks Agency for years to come," Leigh said Tuesday.

Maintenance expenses doubled

According to the parks report, the annual maintenance bill for the fountain has risen to about 250,000($510,000)more than doubled the original estimate.

The cost of the overall projectalso jumped from the government's original 3-million budget(about $6.1 million) to 5.2 million($10.6 million), the committee said.

Leigh charged that the fountain was an example of "a prestige project which will take away money badly needed for the upkeep of national recreational facilities enjoyed by millions."

The committee also said the problems that have plagued the fountain should be a lesson to those organizing a proposed monument to the Queen Mother on The Mall near an existing statue of her husband King George VI. The Queen Mother died in 2002.

Problems resolved after closures

The British department for Culture, Media and Sport issued a response to the report later Tuesday, saying that while the fountain had "teething problems" at the beginning because of its popularity, "these problems have been resolved fully and the fountain is now operating smoothly."

Controversy has dogged the elliptical, track-like stone fountain from its inception.

For years, administrative disagreements delayed the construction of the bubbling memorial, designed by U.S. architect Kathryn Gustafson.

The Queenunveiled the 210-metre-long creation in a grand ceremony in July 2004. However, just days later, it was closed down because of flooding and blockages.

It was shut down again a few weeks after the opening when three people, including a small child, slipped while wading in the water. The monument closed and reopened again in May 2005, after additional safety features were installed.