Inside U.K. London Dome Fuels Millennial Debate By STEVE HILL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
英国千年祭の目玉はドーム？ 零度子午線が通る英国グリニッジで、西暦2000年になった瞬間から大々的に祝われる『千年祭』。巨大ドームが建造され、12のパビリオンがさまざまなエンターテインメントを提供する。準備はすでに始まっているが、国内にはまだ賛否両論が渦巻いている。

It will cost more than £750 million (¥1.725 trillion) to build, cover an area equivalent to 12 soccer pitches and attract at least 12 million visitors in its first year — and an equal amount of public criticism and controversy.

Whether you are for or against it, the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, southeast London, promises to leave an inevitable impression.

It will be the centerpiece of millennium celebrations in this country, and Prime Minister Tony Blair has already said it will be the "most exiting day out in the world,"even though much of the fine detail has yet to be decided. But a vocal minority of critics claim that the project is a waste of taxpayers' money, which could be better spent on improving schools and hospitals.

The general theme of The Millennium Experience — the overall title for the ambitious program of celebrations — is "Time to make a difference." The Dome is at the very core of the project and, naturally, is sited in Greenwich, which is the home of time.

The year 2000 will begin in Britain the second when clocks on the Prime Meridian — the line which divides the eastern and western hemispheres and which runs through the courtyard of the Old Royal Observatory — pass midnight on Dec. 31, 1999. That will spark the start of the celebrations at the Dome, which will house 12 vast pavilions, including the Body Zone.

Here, visitors will be able to walk into a vast androgynous body, entering through the waist, taking a lift to the brain and eventually exiting through the ankle. The aim is to transport visitors into the world of human biology and medical science, exploring the impact of lifestyle choices on the way our bodies appear and perform.

If that all sounds a bit gory, how about relaxing in the Spirit Level pavilion, which will give people the "chance to experience a moment of peace and reflect on our deepest common beliefs"?

Suitably refreshed, you may then want to experience the Learning Curve, which via a theme ride, will explore ways in which 21st century children can start their lives with a desire for learning. There will also be the Serious Play pavilion, which is the most technically animated area and features a moving pavement. But it looks as if the most fun to be had will be at the Living Island, a reconstructed British seaside resort complete with beach, deck chairs, sand and fish and chips, too.

That will constitute the dome which, in itself, promises to be a spectacular sight. It will be 50 meters high at its center (the same height as Nelson's Column) and the structure will be suspended from 12 high steel masts. Construction began in last June and is scheduled to be completed by the autumn, when it is hoped that work can really begin on the pavilion area.

The largest underground station in Europe is being built to help cope with the expected avalanche of visitors, who will never guess that the 300-acre areas was once London's largest derelict and polluted riverside site.

The project, which also features a baby dome providing a 6000 seat venue for the performing arts, will help create more than 7000 new jobs at the Dome site, while 3000 new homes, all with the latest energy-saving and hi-tech building innovations, are to be constructed nearby.

A £100 million (¥23 billion) Millennium Festival fund has also been established to support regional and local celebrations up and down the country.

On the face of it, there are many positives, but we British are not known as world champion complainers for nothing.

Peter Mandelson, Minister without Portfolio in the government and one of Mr. Blair's closest aids, is overseeing the project under intense public scrutiny. The dome's creative director quit in March amid a blaze of damaging allegations, accusing Mr. Mandelson of "running the project like a dictator."

The minister retorted: "I have not been a dictator but I have been decisive and I have got a grip on a project that was suffering from drift."

Mr. Mandelson's assertion that there would be a strong spiritual element inside the dome to celebrate the Christian anniversary represented by the year 2000 (the birth of Christ), served only to provoke calls of concern from Britain's religious minorities and atheists, worried that they would be overlooked.

And further damaging publicity followed from claims that potentially lethal waste from Greenwich was being taken away and buried near three villages in the countryside as part of the clean-up operation.

Despite all the problem, the countdown has well and truly started. No prices have yet been set for public tickets to the dome, but they should be on sale by July, 1999.

Shukan ST: April 17, 1998

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