Richest landowner pulls out of Millennium Dome bid

A property company owned by Britain’s richest landowner has pulled out of a bid to buy the troubled Millennium Dome, it emerged today.

The Duke of Westminster’s Grosvenor Estate Holdings had joined forces with property developers Stanhope, Quintain Estates and Lend Lease in the Meridian Delta consortium to develop the site into a theme park.

But Grosvenor and Stanhope have now pulled out of the bid.

‘‘It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly but after careful consideration and in light of the changing commercial and economic environment, we believe it’s the right one for us,’’ they told a British financial newspaper.

A Meridian Delta spokesman said: ‘‘The two companies decided not to contribute to the bid. They have pulled out.

‘‘I can confirm that Quintain Estates and Lend Lease will be submitting a bid for the Dome and associated land. I have no comment on why Grosvenor and Stanhope are not going ahead.’’

Scientific research charity the Wellcome Trust, which hopes to transform the Dome into a biomedical research centre, is now considered the main bidder.

Meanwhile the troubleshooter appointed to oversee the closure of the Dome today denied claims in a newspaper that he urged the Prime Minister to move the structure to New York.

A newspaper claims David James advised Tony Blair to donate the white elephant in Greenwich, south-east London, to cover the salvage operation at the World Trade Centre site.

‘‘It would be a wonderful gesture on the part of the Government to give the Dome to the city of New York,‘‘ he was quoted as saying.

‘‘It would be a marvellous means of seeing the Millennium Dome having a meaningful purpose in life.’’

But today his spokesman said: ‘‘David James categorically denies that he has advised the Government that the Dome should go to New York.

‘‘Such a proposal would be completely impractical and could only be contemplated within the sphere of science fiction.’’