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Designer Thomas Heatherwick long considered the horticultural aspects of the ill-fated Garden Bridge project to be just a 鈥渄evice鈥� to create new public space, it has emerged.

Newly released interview from Margaret Hodge鈥檚 inquiry into the now-abandoned folly give detailed insight on Heatherwick鈥檚 early involvement in the scheme and his decades-old interest in public projects.

In the documents, released by the Greater London Authority, the designer talks about his initial involvement in the project, which was the brainchild of Joanna Lumley, and which he said was first discussed with the actress in 2002.

鈥淲hat really struck me was that plants were a device, it wasn鈥檛 a romantic thing about 鈥榝lowers are so lovely鈥�, it brought the human scale down and making a place that connects,鈥� he said.

鈥淪he鈥檇 say, 鈥業t鈥檚 not a bridge with flowers on, it鈥檚 a garden that connects north and south鈥�, and that struck me as a clarity.鈥�

Heatherwick said that as a child in the 1970s and 1980s he had been struck by the extent to which nothing architecturally daring happened in London and felt Britain was 鈥減aralysed鈥� by its heritage, until projects like the London Eye came forward in the 1990s.

But he said he had been impressed by Lumley鈥檚 commitment to placemaking when he had heard her speak at events when he was a student at the Royal College of Art.

鈥淚鈥檇 seen her at these lectures about the future of London about 22 years ago, before a mayor was appointed, and they were the most exciting meetings I鈥檝e ever been to,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 remember everyone was worrying about how are we going to breathe life into the South Bank which didn鈥檛 have a London Eye, didn鈥檛 have a Globe, didn鈥檛 have those things, and she was there 鈥� I remember seeing her in a couple of those lectures and at the time I just thought, 鈥榳hat鈥檚 she doing here, she鈥檚 an actress?鈥�

鈥淎nd so there was someone who was very seriously interested in cities; that鈥檚 what was nice, to have my preconceptions busted.

鈥淏ut I knew 14 years ago, I鈥檇 just got going with my studio, I had no platform to help make anything happen and I also knew that design wasn鈥檛 the issue.鈥�

Heatherwick also told Hodge that he thought he may have been introduced to Lumley by design luminary Sir Terence Conran.

Hodge鈥檚 final report concluded that project was staring at a 拢70m funding gap and that its eventual cost could exceed 拢200m 鈥� more than three times the original estimate.

Her findings prompted London Mayor Sadiq Khan to announce in April that he would not act as guarantor for the structure鈥檚 annual maintenance cost, which was a condition of planning approval granted for the scheme.

Trust chair Lord Mervyn Davies said the organisation was 鈥渋ncredibly sad鈥� to have been unable to make the bridge a reality, a situation he laid squarely at Khan鈥檚 feet.

鈥淭he Garden Bridge would have been a unique place; a beautiful new green space in the heart of London, free to use and open to all, showcasing the best of British talent and innovation,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t is all the more disappointing because the trust was set up at the request of TfL, the organisation headed up by the mayor, to deliver the project.

鈥淚t is a sad day for London because it is sending out a message to the world that we can no longer deliver such exciting projects.鈥�

Hodge said the project had already used up 拢37.4m of public money and that an agreement to underwrite cancellation costs by the government could bring the bill to the taxpayer up to 拢46.4m.