WII Bomber Command memorial hit by cash crisis - £2m needed by end-of-the-year
Published: 16 July 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM
PLANS to build a giant memorial in Green Park in memory of the Bomber Command airmen who lost their lives in the Second World War are in turmoil because of a funding shortage.
Despite overwhelming opposition from residents, who questioned the need for another memorial in the area and claimed the 80-metre-wide structure would cause irreparable damage to the park, City Hall planners approved the £3.5million monument near Hyde Park Corner in May.
But it has now emerged that less than half of the amount has been raised, and in order to meet building regulations, the remaining £2m must be in place by the end of the year.
Jim Dooley, chairman of the Bomber Command Association, said: “There’s a misconception that because we have planning permission, we already have funding in place. But that isn’t the case and we urgently need help.”
Numerous high-profile figures backed the RAF-led scheme, including Prime Minister David Cameron, Tory Lord Ashcroft and Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, making the shortfall even more surprising. News of the cash crisis has given a glimmer of hope to opponents of the scheme.
Juliet Lyle, a member of the Thorney Island Society, based in St James’s, said: “This is just the boost we need.
“We will continue to write letters to government departments and influentials, but I think the only hope is they won’t be able to raise the money needed.”
Speaking in May, council planning chief Alastair Moss said the memorial was a “fitting tribute” to the 55,573 airmen who died during the war.