Owen John Thomas: "Morgan misled public"

It fuels speculation that plans to develop a major arts centre in Cardiff Bay may still fail unless adequate funding can be found.

Pressure is mounting on First Minister Rhodri Morgan to give his firm backing to the centre, despite his statement two weeks ago that he would release �2m to take the design of the project to the detail of RIBA stage D which would bring about greater cost certainty.

According to former first secretary Alun Michael MP: "Rhodri Morgan has made the right decision in releasing funds for design work to go ahead.

"But he could have said the same thing in a much more positive way and I believe he should have done so."

Christine Stokes, business development officer for the Wales Millennium Centre, is now confident that the project will go ahead.

But Owen John Thomas, Plaid Cymru spokesman on the Millennium centre, said Rhodri Morgan has misled the public by releasing details the project was way over budget three months after the report was written and after a substantial redesign of the building had brought costs down.

Sale completed

The Turner Townsend report shocked AMs with suggestions that the Centre had never been on budget and that the costs originally estimated at �70 - �75m could escalate to over �100m.

Experts are roughly in agreement that the revised plan will cost around �81m.

Speaking to Manylu, Grosvenor Waterside estates director Phillip Williams confirmed that the sale of the WMC site to Cardiff County Council was completed on Tuesday, 31 October.

He added that if building has not started on site within a year the site will be jointly remarketed with the intention of selling the land to a private developer.