Dome plan gets go-ahead

The regeneration of the Millennium Dome site today.

Work will start later this year on turning the Greenwich site into a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment centre. The development will also see the creation of 24,000 jobs, 10,000 homes, and new schools and healthcare centres.

Ministers hailed the completion of the contracts as a "major milestone". But the Conservatives questioned why it had taken the Government nearly four years - and cost the taxpayer more than ?30 million - to hand over the site.

Details released by ministers today revealed English Partnerships, the government agency charged with overseeing the Dome, had racked up ?22 million in decommissioning and selling costs and paid more than ?8 million for management and security. Conservative-London spokesman Mark Field said: "We welcome this latest development but the fact remains the Dome has cost hard-pushed taxpayers ?250,000 every month just to keep the thing mothballed all this time.

"Regeneration of this area is vital and it is shocking that it has taken nearly four years after the thing closed for this to begin."

Work on the new homes is expected to start in spring 2006 and the Dome's new arena should be completed by spring 2007.