THE troubled B of the Bang sculpture is set to be pulled down – after the team that built it agreed to refund nearly £2m of taxpayers’ cash.

The 184ft structure, Britain’s biggest public artwork, has been plagued by safety problems since it was commissioned to mark Manchester’s Commonwealth Games triumph in 2002.

Nine of its 180 steel spikes have been removed after one fell off and the council has since spent an extra £300,000 making the artwork safe.
Now town hall chiefs are ready to give up on B of the Bang and consign it to the scrapheap, the M.E.N. can reveal.

Settlement

The decision comes after the designers – Thomas Heatherwick Studio Limited – and the subcontractors who built B of the Bang agreed to pay the city council £1.7m in an out-of-court settlement. Town hall chiefs were suing the consortium and the case was due to be heard later this month.
An official decision on the future of B of the Bang will be made in January.
But the M.E.N. understands the most likely outcome is that the sculpture will be pulled down early in the New Year.
Council leaders no longer believe it can ever be made safe, despite years of on-going tests.

Saga

The move will bring to a close a six-year saga that cast a shadow over one of Manchester’s greatest triumphs – the 2002 Games, which ranked as one of the city’s greatest successes.
Even before a single spike was welded, the price of tag for the project soared from £750,000 to £1.4m after it emerged installation costs had not been included in the original estimate.
The grand opening, originally due in scheduled for August 2003, did not take place until January 2005. Seven days before the unveiling ceremony, a 7ft spike fell off the sculpture – forcing engineers to fence it off from the public and fit vibration dampeners on the rest of the structure.
Firefighters were called out again in May to cut off part of another spike that which was hanging off and 12 months later – with the council still unable to say what was wrong with it – a further nine more spikes were removed.
The £1.7m being paid by Thomas Heatherwick Studio Limited and its partners will cover in full the costs of the sculpture, and of making it safe.

Ambitious

A spokesman for the studio, which is headed by ex-Manchester Polytechnic student Thomas Heatherwick, said: “The B of the Bang sculpture was an ambitious and ground-breaking design.
“It is a matter of considerable regret to all of us that the sculpture that was intended to symbolise the outstanding success of the Manchester Commonwealth Games has suffered the problems that have come to light.
“We are pleased that a settlement has been reached.”
Susan Orrell, the council’s city solicitor, said: “The settlement allows us to recover substantial damages and avoid further cost and the risks that are always associated with legal proceedings.
“I am pleased we have reached a settlement that is, in my view, in the best interests of the council. and now that this has been achieved, It means we can move on and consider the options for the future of the structure in conjunction with the project’s funders. A report will go to the council’s executive in the New Year.”

Talks

The money for B of the Bang came from a range of public bodies including the council itself (£120,000), the European Regional Development Fund (£700,000), the North West Development Agency (£500,000) and English Partnerships (£100,000).
The council is likely to hold talks with them to see about if they can agree a replacement for B of the Bang, probably on the same site.
Failing that, the £1.7m will be split and refunded.