The BA bloke who thought it up got a prize of more money than an ATCO earned.
history is repeating itself - the chap running the point merge project won his boss' desk on the incumbent's retirement, thereby squashing hopes that it (point merge, not the desk) might be swept away with a new regime.
it would be straightforward for a computer to manage the approach sequence using point merge
a smashing idea. but while it's phased in we'd have to notam eidw closed to:
aircraft without datalink capability;
non-prnav aircraft;
any other aircraft outside a certain performance window;
go-arounds;
emergencies;
anything else the project team aren't bothered with simulating accurately before implementation.
cooperation from the weather gods in keeping the airspace on this windswept east atlantic rock clear of cb activity would also be useful, but unlikely.