An Exhibition of ourselves

Ministers struggle to salvage Britain's grand plans to celebrate the millennium

Plans for a grand Millennium Exhibition to match the scale of the 1951 Festival of Britain, or the Great Exhibition of the Victorian era, were lying in ruins last night.

Ministers, desperately trying to rescue something from the debacle are looking at three options - scaling down the pounds 400m Greenwich Exhibition; performing an embarrassing U-turn by giving the exhibition to Birmingham which was defeated in the final competition, or scrapping the idea altogether.

The scramble to produce a credible vehicle to take Britain into the 21st century follows a reluctance by the country's largest companies to sponsor the Greenwich site by matching the pounds 200m of lottery funds already committed to the project.

As reported by the Independent yesterday, big business cannot see any commercial return from backing the Greenwich project, in south-east London.

Michael Heseltine and Virginia Bottomley, along with their fellow members of the Millennium Commission, met again yesterday to look for ways out of what is becoming a growing embarrassment for the Government. The commission is still hoping that urgent efforts by Sir Peter Levene, appointed to spearhead the fundraising, to find sufficient corporate support will prove successful.

Sir Peter was originally given until the end of this month to come up with a firm business plan. Yesterday, the commission gave him an extra month.

The sticking-point is understood to be worries among potential backers that if the event flops they will lose their cash. When Greenwich was awarded the exhibition, the commission said it would only go ahead if it was commercially viable. By that, the body which receives money from the National Lottery receipts, meant any cash it gave had to be matched by private-sector funding.

Time is running out because workers are due to start moving in next month to begin decontaminating the Greenwich site, a sprawling former gas-works.

Businesses are frustrated that in order for them to stump up the cash, they need a definitive, detailed proposal. So far, no such plan has been forthcoming. British Airways is understood to have become frustrated that a series of queries it needs clarified before it can take a funding scheme forward have so far not been answered.

Politicians from all sides reacted angrily yesterday to the difficulties now surrounding the plans for the great national celebration, originally billed as the biggest millennium event in Europe and expected to attract 20 million visitors.

Nigel Spearing, the Labour MP for Newham South, which borders Greenwich, said he had written to Mrs Bottomley, the Secretary of State for National Heritage, three months ago warning of a crisis ahead. In his letter he said a "disaster could occur, affecting the reputation of Government, Parliament and London MPs, and maybe the nation: bad planning of the millennium, consequential embarrassment in 2000, all leading to recriminations".

Mr Spearing said yesterday it was a tragedy that "already there is a dark cloud over this project. It is the Government's fault for showing a lack of vision and insisting on a profit motive where this, above all else, is a national community event for which cash returns should not be the prime determinant".

Nick Raynsford, the MP for Greenwich, said there "is not the degree of integration there should be and which is essential if we are to get a successful Millennium Exhibition which is what the country needs".

Close observers pointed to the last comparable event in this country, the Festival of Britain in 1951, which was financed from public funds. The Greenwich Exhibition is being delayed by the lack of corporate sponsorship. They also expressed surprise that Sir Bob Scott, the chairman of Manchester's Olympics bid and Greenwich's attempt to land the exhibition, had not been asked to participate in the commercial cash-raising.

"Someone like Bob Scott has got a major role to play," said one senior Conservative.

Another senior Tory also expressed reservations about the lack of interest in the exhibition. Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare, former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said "it's sad the British people haven't yet worked out this could be an exciting start to the third millennium".

Computer time travel, page 8

Leading article, page 16

How the

rest of the

world plans

to party

Australia

The Olympic Games in Sydney overshadow all events in Australia in 2000, financially and otherwise.

But a federal government survey found that the most popular suggestion for celebrating the millennium was people writing local history of where they grew up, with an emphasis on Aboriginal history.

China

It took six years of study before Chinese scientists concluded that the next century should start on 1 January 2000 rather than the following year.

No plans for the millennium have been announced, but any celebrations will have to include a campaign reassuring China's less-educated, superstitious, population that the world is not about to come to an end.

Hong Kong

Like many things which will happen after China resumes sovereignty over Hong Kong next year, plans for the millennium celebrations are uncertain.

But the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) has called on architects and civil engineers to lodge expressions of interest for a construction to mark the new century - assuming the space can be found - and there is no shortage of potential sponsors.

Turkey

Turks were disappointed not to win the 2000 Olympics. Since the time of the late President Ozal they have been told that the 21st Century will be a Turkish century. While they now seem less certain about a great coming together of the Turkic nations, Turkish Airlines aeroplanes still bear decals reading - "2001: Fated to Succeed".