Roland Berger Strategy Consultants supports the "One English Garden" project, creating a EUR 70 million financing plan

• After 50 years, the road dividing Munich's famous English Garden park is to be rerouted through a tunnel
• Roland Berger Strategy Consultants has developed a financing plan for the "One English Garden" project on a pro bono basis
• The construction costs of EUR 70 million are to be met by companies and private individuals from Munich and the region, as well as by the city itself
• Various corporate and individual sponsorship packages are planned to gather the finance

Since the 1960s, Munich's famous park, the English Garden, has been divided by the city's ring road. Now this road is to be rerouted through a 400m-long tunnel to greatly improve the quality of life and the traffic situation in Munich. To make this plan a reality, the husband-and-wife team of architects Petra Lejeune-Grub and Hermann Grub have set up the "One English Garden" foundation. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants developed the project's financing plan free of charge: the aim is to collect money from private individuals and companies from the region as well as the local government to cover the construction costs of EUR 70 million. Various corporate and individual sponsorship packages are envisaged, depending on the amount people wish to donate: packages for individuals from EUR 100 to over EUR 1,000 and corporate packages from EUR 100,000 to over EUR 3 million.

"The English Garden is one of the world's largest urban parks – an oasis of nature in the middle of the city," says Ralf Kalmbach, Partner and Member of the Executive Committee of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. "Rerouting this part of the ring road through a tunnel would have major advantages: firstly, there would be an uninterrupted stretch of park from downtown to the city limits, and secondly it would solve the congestion problem there." Around 110,000 vehicles drive along that part of the ring road each day.

Companies and individuals support the English Garden

The total cost of rerouting the six-lane road through a tunnel would amount to EUR 70 million: EUR 40 million to build the tunnel, and another 30 million for other important construction activities such as developing the land and landscaping the park. To fund the project, Roland Berger has developed a plan that relies on the involvement of Munich companies and citizens. Depending on their resources, they can pick one of six sponsorship packages – three for private individuals and three for companies.

"Usually, larger projects like this tunnel can be financed only by large companies. But by offering smaller sponsorship packages, local citizens can also get involved," says Kalmbach. They can choose between the "Silver" package starting at EUR 100, "Gold" from EUR 500 or "Platinum" from EUR 1,000.

Munich firms to be main sponsors

Companies from Munich and the region are likely to provide more financial support for the "One English Garden" project. They have the choice between the "Leaf" package starting at EUR 100,000, the "Branch" package from EUR 1 million upwards or the "Tree" package from EUR 3 million. Those working on the project also expect considerable support from the local and regional government: "This project is a unique example of a successful public-private partnership. By providing financial aid, politicians, local citizens and companies can show their support for Munich as a place to do business and help improve the quality of life in the city even more. The initial response has been very positive and we are sure that the local community, politicians and businesspeople will continue to support the project," says Kalmbach.