The victims of the July 7 bombs are to get a permanent memorial. In Hyde Park.
"The agreed location represents the enormity of our loss, on a personal and a public level. As we wished, this site is significant, in the centre of London and in a place that is recognised throughout the world. Since 7 July 2005 we have campaigned for a memorial that will forever remind people of the events of that horrendous day." - Representative of a support group for bereaved families
Tavistock Square - site of the bus bomb - was also considered, but there's already a commemorative tree in the grounds, with other plaques nearby. Hyde Park was chosen for its higher profile, and possibly becauseTavistock Square is already awash with memorials.
Remarkably, Hyde Park seems to have been agreed upon without too much argument. But we'd be very surprised if a memorial as emotive as this does not cause some kind of ruckus. Remember the Diana water feature? Or even the fuss over 'the fourth plinth' and the Mandela statue, neither of which have 52 deaths hanging over them. No, there's bound to be strongly opposed views about what form the monument should take, and where exactly to place it in the park. It's easy to imagine some kind of gross error of judgment, such as the dismembered torso of the Achilles statue being visible in the background. You have to be very careful with these things.
