Plans to build GIANT SLIDE down Olympic Park's ArcelorMittal Orbit revealed

 
Plans: The proposed slide down the ArcelorMittal Orbit, left, and the sculpture as it looks at the moment (Picture: Bblur/Rex)
Ramzy Alwakeel22 May 2015

Secret plans for a giant helter-skelter wrapped around the ArcelorMittal Orbit have been submitted to the authority that runs the Olympic Park.

If they are approved, Londoners could soon be able to slide down Anish Kapoor's iconic sculpture, which stands at 114m, from a height of 80m.

Park bosses last year began letting visitors abseil down the Orbit for an £85 price tag. It is unclear from the new planning documents how much, if anything, people will have to pay to use the huge slide.

The spiral design would take in five circuits of Anish Kapoor's iconic sculpture before a final 50m run to the ground.

It would "complement and blend into the existing design" of the structure, Britain's largest piece of public art, according to planning documents.

Plans: The helter-skelter shown in red on early planning documents (Picture: Bblur Architects)
Bblur Architects

Bblur, the Marylebone architects' firm whose name appears on the official drawings, this afternoon told the Standard it could not comment without the say-so of the London Legacy Development Corporation.

But paperwork submitted to the LLDC, which manages the park, reveals the proposed slide has already made its way through one stage of the planning process.

Mock-up of the slide issued by the LLDC
LLDC

Bosses this week decided no "environmental impact assessment" was needed for the structure thanks to its minimal impact on the surrounding area. The plans were submitted at the end of April.

The £23million Orbit was unveiled in honour of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following their conclusion the surrounding area of park was shut for 18 months while it was landscaped for the public, eventually opening in April last year.

Mock-up of the slide issued by the LLDC
LLDC

A LLDC spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring our visitors have the best possible day out every time they visit Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and as with all our venues we are constantly exploring ways to ensure we are leading the way with the latest visitor experience. The addition of a slide would be an exciting and alternative way to descend from the viewing platforms, and will give a different perspective of Britain’s tallest sculpture.”

The Standard has also approached Anish Kapoor for comment.

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