Bidding on the Millennium Dome

April 13, 2000
Web posted at: 1:26 p.m. EDT (1726 GMT)

LONDON (CNN) -- The Millennium Dome's birth was unpopular, its introduction to the public troublesome, its first couple of months marred by growing pains.

Now, despite its bumps and bruises, companies are lining up, wanting to adopt Great Britain's expensive baby. They see the structure, located in Greenwich, maturing into a theme park, sports stadium or media mecca.

The government agency English Partnerships has whittled 70 bids for the controversial Dome down to five: Dome Europe, Sports Dome 2001, Legacy, Greenwich Media World and Meridian City.

The 758-million-pound (US $1.25 billion) Dome hasn't had an easy life since opening January 1. It's been dogged with long lines, damned by critics who questioned its one-year life span and denounced for parking problems.

The Dome contains 14 "zones" exploring the human experience. Some of the named themes include "Faith," "Body," "Mind," "Money" and "Shared Ground." None of those concepts would survive under plans offered by the competing bidders.

Dome Europe is proposing a theme park with an international flavor, says Peter Middleton, chairman of Dome Europe.

"If people want to eat and drink as if they're in Venice, you can do that," he says. "If you want to feel what it's like to be in Berlin or Bordeaux, we'll take you there."

Sports Dome 2001 suggests what its name implies. "We think that sport is the universal language," says Chairman John Taylor. "It cuts across backgrounds and barriers."

Legacy wants to transform the Dome into a leading community of new businesses, CEO Robert Bourne says. "The small- (and) medium-sized companies in media and e-commerce need an environment to prosper," he says.

Greenwich Media World envisions a London version of Hollywood. GMW's Michael Sarch says he sees the Dome "as a center for British excellence, mainly from TV broadcasting and film."

Meridian City is bent on creating a work-live-play community over the 20-acre (eight-hectare) site and beyond. "It's scope, it's scale, it's vision," says Meridian's Charles Lewington.

Officials at Meridian City point to the company's name, too, as evidence that their bid should be taken seriously: It's a reference to the zero-degree longitude, or "prime meridian" at Greenwich that's used as a basis for standard time in much of the world.

English Partnerships plans to narrow the field to two contestants next month and choose a winner this summer.

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