Funding and transport worries over the Dome need to be addressed

While the loyalty of designers working on the interiors of the Millennium Dome is commendable, I for one find it difficult to believe that funding problems caused by the lack of corporate sponsorship for six zones are as insignificant as Jasper Jacob makes out (DW 8 January).

The exhibition at Greenwich should, and still could, be a showcase for British creativity and design. But the question mark over the funding, and over the timescale for completion of the Jubilee Line extension, casts a long shadow.

Having been built up as a world-leading international initiative, the Dome could prove an embarrassing weight around the neck of UK design groups if it goes wrong. Designers, already misunderstood in the public eye, will be an ideal scapegoat for those keen to pass the buck.

The design industry should be seeking assurances from Lord Falconer and the New Millennium Experience Company that sponsorship of the remaining zones and transport problems with the Jubilee Line are resolved as soon as possible.

John Chapman

London W1

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