The London Eye will be a feature of the capital’s skyline for decades to come under plans that have been approved by Lambeth Council.
The world-famous observation wheel was approved as an ongoing fixture in 2003, but with a clause requiring the council to decide whether the attraction should be kept after 25 years.
Officers at the local authority have now agreed the iconic attraction should stay beyond the 2028 cut-off date, after hearing of its positive effect on the London economy.
Making London’s most-visited paid-for attraction permanent have been formally backed by UK Hospitality, the nearby Southbank Centre, and former Vauxhall MP Baroness Kate Hoey among others.
Documents also showed concerns from the Environment Agency (EA) that the Eye’s location makes future Thames flood defence work “more difficult and costly”.
EA officials also raised fears that it could be subject to a compensation claim if the attraction had to be out of operation during flood defence works.
However, site owners Merlin Entertainments said it did not contribute to the risk of flooding and that it would not prevent the rising of flood defences if required in future.
Recommending the approval, Lambeth Council planning officials said the attraction “continues to make a significant beneficial socioeconomic impact in Lambeth, London and nationally”, benefiting the wider London economy to the tune of £143million.
“It also acts as a key catalyst to the regeneration of the South Bank, whilst local businesses rely on the tourism that the Eye generates,” council documents state.
The Millennium Wheel, as it was first known, was officially opened by Tony Blair on 31 December 1999 with a five year lease, which was later extended.
It attracts around four million visitors annually, nearly three-quarters of whom are international visitors to the UK.
