£55m new cost of assembly

Lord Rogers' design was originally picked for the new chamber

The total cost of the Welsh assembly's new debating chamber has been fixed at just over £55 million.

The project to establish a new home for Wales' 60 AMs was stopped two years ago when it was feared that costs were rising too quickly.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said: "It is very hard to get a fixed price contract but we've managed to get one and we're pleased with that.

"We stopped the project when the prices were rising, and the key success here is that we've now managed to get a fixed price for it."

But Nick Bourne, leader of the Conservatives in the assembly, said he did not believe the new figure would cover the entire cost.

It's not what the assembly looks like that matters, it's what the assembly does for Wales that is the real issue here

Nick Bourne

"The people of Wales look around and see the state of our health service and other public services in Wales, and they cannot understand why the Labour Party, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have voted time after time to spend at least this amount to boost their political egos," he said.

He said his party would continue to oppose "this dreadful waste of money".

"It's not what the assembly looks like that matters, it's what the assembly does for Wales that is the real issue here," he said.

Some £12m had originally been put aside for the building, which means that the price has increased more than four-fold.

Sacked

The site in Cardiff Bay where the chamber will be built

The construction of the chamber has been plagued with financial problems since it began in 1998.

At the time, the Richard Rogers Partnership (RRP) run by Lord Rogers won an architectural competition to design the building.

Costs rose to £26.7m by November 2000, and a later estimate put the real figure at £37m-47m.

In July 2001 Lord Rogers' firm was sacked from the project because of concerns over the escalating estimated costs - something which the Labour peer has always denied was the responsibility of his company.

The chamber building will be the public space in which the people of Wales can take part in the democratic process

Mike German

Last January year it was annouced that the firm would be part of the consortium to construct the building.

The Welsh Assembly Government announced the preferred bidder would be construction firm Taylor Woodrow, with RRP as a consultant.

The new fixed price means that building work could begin in July with construction completed by July 2005.

Mike German, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the assembly, said he was disappointed the fixed price solution was not agreed earlier.

He said: "This will be an icon building for Wales and will attract tourists into Cardiff in the same way as the Houses of Parliament attract people to London.

"The chamber building will be the public space in which the people of Wales can take part in the democratic process."