A day at the beach
Sarah Standing 2:23pm
Ken Livingstone now proposes to close Victoria Embankment every August from 2010 and turn it into a "beach" as he feels Londoners and tourists would benefit from .... from what exactly? Drowning? I'm confused. We live in a city. Surely if one wanted to experience beach-life either as a tourist or as a Londoner one would simply leave the city and go to the sea-side? Or does Mr Livingstone anticipate Public Transport being in such a dire state by 2010 this will not be an option?
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Comments
Tariq
March 25th, 2008 2:36pmHe's borrowing from Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë, who has closed a bank of the Seine and covered it in sand for the last few years to create a highly popular beach within the city.
Trumpeter Lanfried
March 25th, 2008 3:11pmGetting a little desperate, isn't he?
Maisie
March 25th, 2008 3:25pmHave to say it's one of the few ideas from KL that I can agree with. It's somewhere different to relax and people watch.
Of course given the UK weather it could end up looking more like the Somme battlefield....
Austin Barry
March 25th, 2008 3:25pmAs long as Ken doesn't turn up in his speedos it seems a good idea.
Faceless Bureaucrat
March 25th, 2008 3:31pmHa ha ha ha ha ha...... Desperate indeed, Trumpeter Lanfried - when they launched this idea in Paris, within a few weeks residents of of that City were complaining that it had become a magnet for muggers and other assorted low-life after dark and that during the day time they had to pick their way through the previous evening's dirty syringes and used condoms. Imagine what London's finest will make of 'Victoria Plage'! There must be an Election in the air...
Oscar Miller
March 25th, 2008 3:32pmTariq is right - this is a steal from Paris. And somehow I can imagine Boris promoting this idea (which I agree is quite a congenial one) much better than commissar Ken.
Max Kaye
March 25th, 2008 3:48pm....only if we can bury him in the sand. Head first.
Tammy
March 25th, 2008 4:42pmTalk about a beached election strategy.
You're drowning, not waving, Ken.
Jumpin Jack Flash
March 25th, 2008 4:51pmLondon's dogs and cats will welcome a giant litter box in their midst.
JJ
March 25th, 2008 5:18pmLee Jasper can have a 'Treasure Island' theme attraction on it and people on the breadline can come and see if they can get a rebate.
JJ
March 25th, 2008 5:21pmOf course, Lee Jasper won't need to buy the pirate outfit, either.
S Richmond
March 25th, 2008 5:29pmActually the beach installed outside the Truman brewary over summer is massively popular and attracts crowds from all over.
Not a big fan of Ken, but I can't see anything wrong with the idea. It's totally harmless.
salieri
March 25th, 2008 7:07pmSo can we drive there too, please?|
Chuck Unsworth
March 25th, 2008 7:34pmFor Livingstone every day is a holiday, and Life's a Beach. Still it might give him somewhere congenial to sleep it off.
Why is he spending my money on a 'facility' that will be used for about two weeks in the year and then by only a few 'Londoners'? What's wrong with the multitude of very fine public parks all over London? Is this all to do with a forthcoming election or something?
Alex
March 26th, 2008 2:20amThe idea was stolen from Paris. It was a complete failure in Paris - massive problems with crime / theft / muggings. Why repeat that in London?