Biota!
{{Short description|Proposed aquarium in Docklands, London}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox zoo
|zoo_name = Biota!
|logo =
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|image = Biota artists representation.jpg
|image_width = 250px
|image_caption = Architect's image of Biota!
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|date_closed =
|location = Silvertown Quays, Docklands, London
|floorspace = {{convert|14500|m2|sqft}}
|coordinates = {{Coord|51|30|11|N|0|1|55.2|E|region:GB_type:landmark|display=it}}
|num_animals =
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|members=
|exhibits = Amazon, British Isles, Atlantic & Indo-Pacific biomes
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| module = {{Infobox mapframe
| stroke-color = #C60C30
| marker = zoo
| marker-color = #1F2F57
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Biota! was a proposed aquarium in the Silvertown Quays redevelopment, on the site of Millennium Mills adjacent to the Royal Victoria Dock, part of the wider Thames Gateway regeneration project for East London.{{cite web|url=http://www.silvertownquays-london.com/ |title=Silvertown Quays London |publisher=Silvertown Quays |accessdate=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522164838/http://www.silvertownquays-london.com/ |archivedate=22 May 2009 }} The £80 million building by Terry Farrell & Partners architects{{cite web|url=http://www.terryfarrell.co.uk/projects/relaxing/relax_silverAqua.html |title=Silvertown Aquarium, London |publisher=Terry Farrell and Partners |accessdate=7 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316034934/http://www.terryfarrell.co.uk/projects/relaxing/relax_silverAqua.html |archivedate=16 March 2009 }} was given outline planning permission in March 2005 and was initially expected to be completed in 2008,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4330871.stm |title=£80m aquarium planned for London |work=BBC News|date=8 March 2005}} but the project was cancelled in 2009.
Plan
Biota! was to be operated by the Zoological Society of London and would have been the world's first aquarium entirely based on the principles of conservation. The design for the aquarium incorporated four biomes, each representing an entire ecosystem including trees, other plants, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds as well as fish.{{cite web|url=http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.977 |title=London Mayor Ken Livingstone launches London's Silvertown Quays and reveals plans for a world-class visitor attraction to an international audience at MIPIM 2005 |publisher=London Development Agency |date=5 March 2005 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060113085429/http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.977 |archivedate=13 January 2006 }}
{{Quote|"The aquarium at Silvertown Quays will be an international visitor attraction worthy of Europe's world class city. The Zoological Society of London, which will operate the aquarium is well known worldwide for its research and conservation efforts."|Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London}}
The planned completion date slipped as the Silvertown Quays development struggled to secure funding. In June 2008, Building magazine announced that the aquarium was "under review because of the credit crunch", citing the 2008 financial crisis as the reason for the lack of progress on the project.{{cite web |url=http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=3115276&c=0 |title=Farrell's east London aquarium |publisher=Building |date=6 June 2008}} This placed the rest of the development in jeopardy because the planning obligations required the aquarium to be built before the rest of the scheme. In September 2009, the landowner London Development Agency withdrew from the agreement, effectively ending the project.{{cite news |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23749022-pound-15bn-aquarium-project-sinks.do |title=£1.5bn aquarium project sinks |newspaper=Evening Standard |date=28 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605055548/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23749022-pound-15bn-aquarium-project-sinks.do |archivedate=5 June 2011 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3149727 |title=Terry Farrell aquarium plans dead in the water |publisher=Building |date=28 September 2009}}
Biota! would have formed one of the main public attractions of the {{convert|60|acre|adj=on}}, £1.5 billion development, along with Silvertown Venture Xtreme, an extreme sports and surf centre.{{cite web |url=http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/baca-reveals-plans-for-extreme-sports-complex-in-newham/107254.article |title=BACA reveals plans for extreme-sports complex in Newham |work=Architects' Journal |date=18 September 2007}}
See also
- Sea Life London Aquarium, an existing aquarium in central London
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20090522164838/http://www.silvertownquays-london.com}} (archive)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100726101240/http://www.terryfarrell.co.uk/ Terry Farrell and Partners architects]
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Category:Unbuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom