Echo in February 1998 – a larger development valued at £750 million. The 1,000 ft tower, previously mulled over, was now definitively part of the masterplan – its centrepiece. This would have made it the tallest building in Europe, 150 ft taller than the then record holder of Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, Germany, and one of the top 25 tallest in the world at the time if constructed. The developers claimed the project could create 30,000 jobs. Wiggins said they wanted to create a landmark design for Liverpool following in the footsteps of E. W. Pugin, Giles Gilbert Scott and Frederick Gibberd. Construction would begin after the start of the new Millennium. The tower was designed primarily as a leisure and tourist attraction. Features were to include a theme park stretching up 30 storeys, to be influenced by Liverpool's musical heritage, complete with a 300 ft tall waterfall and man-made tropical jungle. An "opera house in the sky" was also touted. A total of 400,000 m2 of floor space was planned. A quarter was to be reserved for shops (with a view of attracting major American and European anchor tenants), whilst accommodation would involve a 2,500 bed, five-star hotel and penthouse apartments. Reaction The plans were initially met with scepticism. Media questioned "the demand for a project of such size and scale" in a city such as Liverpool, the availability of funds, considering Wiggins were only turning a profit of £1 million at the time, and the track record of the key figures behind the venture whose previous plans had rarely materialised; the company claimed it was "not a pie in the sky" scheme. Meanwhile, Labour councillor Louise Ellman praised the ambition and the size of investment and the head of Liverpool Airport, Rod Hill, also welcomed the prospect of extra tourists to the city. Local media dubbed the tower, "the Scousescraper", a pun combining the colloquial word for a person from Liverpool, Scouser, and skyscraper. In May 1998, the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) became the controlling party of Liverpool City Council after local elections, replacing Labour. Later that month, the Lib Dems came out staunchly against the skyscraper proposal. The site is located close to a suburban residential area; Cllr. Ron Gould stated it would be "a nightmare for the community in the shadow of the site" and asked who "would want to live next door to that?", that