The structure has been criticized as a drain on taxpayers' money.Insider
- The Marble Arch Mound opened in July and was intended to attract people to London's retail center.
- The project's boss quit after costs spiralled to $8.25 million - $3.7 million more than planned.
- The local council said that it "wasn't ready for visitors when it opened" and offered refunds.
The Marble Arch Mound did not quite go to plan.
The 25-meter-high artificial hill, built in the middle of London's busy shopping district, was supposed to attract 280,000 visitors to the city's retail center after the pandemic flattened sales.
But as soon as it opened on July 26, visitors ridiculed the temporary structure, with one comparing it with a piece of scenery from a low-fi 90's video game. And, after costs ballooned $3.7 million (£2.7 million) beyond its expected price tag to $8.25 million, a local politician resigned.
Opposition political party, Labour, criticized the mound as a drain on taxpayers' money.
I went to check out the mound for myself to see if it really was as underwhelming as people said.