中融重建倫敦水晶宮項目停滯

The grandiose plan to rebuild the Crystal Palace, which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851, launched with great fanfare nearly a year and a half ago by Boris Johnson, the mayor of the Greater London Authority, appears to have stalled.

將近一年半以前，大倫敦政府(Greater London Authority)的市長鮑里斯•約翰遜(Boris Johnson)曾大張旗鼓地啓動了重建水晶宮(Crystal Palace)的宏偉計劃。如今，這一計劃似乎已陷入停滯。水晶宮原址位於倫敦東南部，曾主辦過1851年的世界博覽會(Great Exhibition)。

On Sunday, the 16-month exclusivity period granted to the China-based Zhongrong Group lapsed without any sign of a planning application or design for the site in southeast London.

中國中融集團(Zhongrong Group)被授予的16個月排他期已在週日終止，卻沒有任何跡象表明該集團提出了對該地段的建築規劃申請或設計方案。

The group has proposed building a £500m “cultural destination” on the same scale as the original Victorian glass and iron structure which burnt down in 1936.

該集團曾提出要斥資5億英鎊，以同等於原水晶宮的規模，打造一個“文化勝地”。維多利亞時代的水晶宮是玻璃和鋼鐵結構，在1936年被焚燬。

Bromley council, which controls the land, said that confidential discussions with the Zhongrong group were continuing but they would now “listen if approached” to any other development proposals for the site.

擁有水晶宮原址土地控制權的布羅姆利區地方議會(Bromley Council)表示，仍在繼續與中融集團開展保密磋商。不過，如今“如果有人提出”對該地段的任何其他開發方案，他們也會“認真聽取”。

Council leader Stephen Carr said “These have been and remain complex proposals. The potential to completely restore and improve the park as well as regeneration for the surrounding area is something we cannot ignore. Equally, the council is not going to agree to something without being confident about the proposals, as we are custodians of this fantastic park.”

地方議會領導人斯蒂芬•卡爾(Stephen Carr)表示：“那些方案一如既往地複雜。它們是否有潛力將這一公園完全恢復並加以改善、復興周邊地區，是我們着重考慮的因素。同樣，地方議會如果對這些方案沒有信心，是不會批准它們的，因爲我們是這一夢幻公園的監護人。”

A spokesperson for the mayor said he remained “fully committed to the regeneration of Crystal Palace Park and continues to support plans being developed with Bromley, the community and interested parties”.

市長的一位發言人表示，他依然“在全身心致力於恢復水晶宮公園的面貌，並繼續支持與布羅姆利區、當地社區及感興趣的各方一道研究的各項規劃”。

One of the main sticking points in the negotiations is believed to have been concerns over the loss of green space and what level of control over public land would be granted to the developer.

談判中的主要爭論焦點之一，據信是對綠地損失的顧慮、以及開發商對公共土地的控制權應該有多大。

A spokesperson for Zhongrong’s Crystal Palace project said that they remained fully committed to investing in the project, adding that it was still under discussion whether there would be a further exclusivity agreement.

中融集團水晶宮項目的一位發言人表示，他們依然全心全意地投入該項目的投資。他還補充說，關於是否繼續簽署一份排他協議，目前仍在磋商之中。

“After conclusion of the legal and commercial negotiations, which include complex matters such as the lease options, we would plan to move steadily on to further public consultation on the detailed proposals and design before submitting a planning application,” they said.

他們表示：“法律和商業方面的磋商包括租賃選擇權之類的複雜事務。這方面磋商達成結論之後，我們打算在提交規劃申請之前，針對細節化的方案和設計，穩步開展進一步公共諮詢工作。”

Under the original timetable an architect should have been appointed and a planning application submitted last year. But despite six of Britain’s most high-profile architects — including Dame Zaha Hadid, designer of the Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, responsible for the National Space Centre in Leicester and the Eden Project in Cornwall — being shortlisted a year ago to provide designs for the site, no winner has been named.

按照最初的時間表，去年就應該任命設計師，並提交規劃申請。然而，儘管英國6位最著名的設計師去年就已進入提供設計方案的終選名單中，但花落誰家目前仍未確定。這6名設計師包括倫敦奧林匹克公園水上運動中心的設計者扎哈•哈迪德女爵士(Dame Zaha Hadid)，以及負責設計位於萊斯特市的英國國家航天中心(National Space Centre)和位於康沃爾的伊甸園項目(Eden Project)的尼古拉斯•格雷姆肖爵士(Sir Nicholas Grimshaw)。

Residents and local politicians, who have been concerned by the lack of detail in the proposals, are calling for a complete rethink.

當地居民和政界人士一直擔心相關方案缺乏細節，他們呼籲徹底地重新考慮這個項目。

Tom Chance, Green party spokesman and general election candidate for the area, said: “Bromley and the GLA need to stop messing around with fantasy projects and send the Zhongrong Group packing.”

該地區大選候選人、綠黨(Green party)發言人湯姆•錢斯(Tom Chance)表示：“布羅姆利區和大倫敦政府應該停止折騰千奇百怪的地產項目，讓中融集團捲鋪蓋走人。”

Local resident Karl Richter, who organised a well-supported petition calling for greater scrutiny of the deal, said he would be “very concerned” if serious negotiations continued, saying the developer “has not been able to deliver its commitments to prepare a business plan for the project nor made a planning application as it promised”.

當地居民卡爾•里克特(Karl Richter)曾組織過一次受到廣泛支持的請願活動，呼籲加大對這一項目的審查力度。里克特表示，如果圍繞該項目的認真磋商仍在繼續，他會感到“非常擔心”，並表示該開發商“未能盡責爲該項目擬定商業規劃書，也未能按照承諾提交規劃申請”。

He also questioned the company’s suitability as a partner, adding it has “almost no relevant international experience for being granted exclusive access to a prestigious London heritage site”.

他還質疑該公司是否適合擔任合作方，並補充說該公司“幾乎毫無相關國際經驗，不應授予其對倫敦著名文化遺址的排他開發權”。