Tower Hamlets (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Plans for Chinese ‘super embassy’ near the Tower of London gained momentum as Tower Hamlets Council admitted it could not challenge the proposal.
Tower Hamlets Council acknowledged that it is “no longer in a position to present evidence” for why the proposal should be rejected, a decision that is likely to boost the likelihood that planning approval will be granted for the contentious scheme.
Will the Chinese ‘super-embassy’ at Royal Mint Court get approval despite opposition?
Human rights activists, locals, and a number of well-known politicians, including Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary for the Conservatives, have all strongly opposed China’s plans to turn the five acres of land at Royal Mint Court into the largest embassy in Europe.
Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, will decide whether to approve the plan after receiving a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate.
The Inspectorate is currently developing that recommendation after starting a 12-day investigation that started with a hearing today.
In December 2024, the members of Tower Hamlets Council decided to symbolically reject the project. The Metropolitan Police’s objection served as a major part of the council’s official “reasons for refusal.”
At the time, counter-terrorism officers had cautioned that the location was inappropriate for the embassy because there was not enough room for the protests that would be drawn there, and there was a chance that protesters would overflow into the road and halt traffic.
However, Scotland Yard announced last month that it was dropping its objection after receiving a “pedestrian comfort assessment” that China had commissioned and funded. The Met came to the conclusion that “on balance, there is sufficient space for future protests to be accommodated” after reviewing this paper, which was created by the engineering consultant Cundall and the design firm Arup.
The council’s attorney, Morag Ellis KC, informed the court on Tuesday that the council was “no longer in a position to present evidence in support of the putative reason for refusal” because the Met had withdrawn its objection.
The borough has basically admitted that it can no longer defend its grounds for rejecting the project, even though the council’s decision still “stands” in the eyes of the inquiry and would typically carry a lot of weight against the granting of planning permission.
Those who live closest to the site are “hugely concerned and disappointed” by the council’s position and will keep opposing the plan, according to Simon Bell, a lawyer for the Royal Mint Court Residents Association.
He noted that “police failed to contain the protesters in the designated protest areas” during a demonstration against the measures on Saturday, February 8.
He said:
“The residents’ fear for their safety and security was confirmed by the substantial police presence and the blocking of roads.
One can only imagine how negatively protests will affect residents’ safety and security during any construction phase, let alone after the embassy has been built, if this is a preview of what is to come with regard to a proposed embassy.”
Speaking on behalf of the embassy, attorney Christopher Katkowski KC stated that there was “literally no basis” for denying authorization for the proposed embassy.
An embassy proposed by one nation must be regarded the same as any other, regardless of whether it is likely to draw more objections, he noted, because planning decisions for embassies must be “nation-neutral.”
How might the presence of the super-embassy impact UK-China relations?
The aim of the embassy is to encourage more Chinese investment in the UK, which could have positive economic effects. Numerous trade and financial agreements between China and the UK have already been concluded, and they are expected to provide Britain with significant economic benefits.
The new UK administration is trying to approach China in a way that, when feasible, encourages collaboration.
Citing China’s history of global repression, critics believe the “super-embassy” might turn into a center for monitoring and suppressing dissidents.
There are concerns that Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hongkongers, and other pro-democracy campaigners in the UK may be monitored and intimidated by the embassy. According to Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, it might be Europe’s largest mega-embassy and intelligence headquarters.