Plans for China’s new huge embassy in Tower Hamlets rejected by councillors

 A visualisation of the proposed site of China’s new Embassy in Royal Mint Court. Pic: Tower Hamlets Council  

Planning permission for the Chinese embassy to move to a Grade-Two listed building in Tower Hamlets was rejected at a council meeting on Thursday following concerns over safety and privacy from residents.

The proposal was raised after the Chinese government bought Royal Mint Court in 2018 and the development would have created the largest embassy in the UK.  

The rejection followed Tower Hamlets council receiving 51 letters of objection to the relocation of China’s embassy from Portland Place, Marylebone, to Royal Mint Court from residents. 

Tower Hamlets Home, a non-profit organisation that helps manage housing for the council, said: “We have already seen the Royal Mint Green being used as a point of congregation for protests held by Extinction Rebellion and expect that the space will become a focal point for protests against the Chinese embassy in the future. This would undoubtedly have an adverse effect on the lives of residents on the estate.”   

Objections to the development also included the heritage of the area as it falls in the boundary of the Tower of London UNESCO world heritage site.  The historic site was previously a tobacco warehouse before being deveoped into Royal Mint Court in the early 19th-century. King George III commisisoned the building of a new Royal Mint, moving it from the Tower of London. It was the home of Britain’s minting until the last coin was made there in 1975 and production moved to Wales.

Peter Golds, a Conservative councillor for Tower Hamlets, said: “Here we are in a world heritage site, one of the most famous places on the planet. Whenever you see London it’s Tower Bridge…. And what will visitors see? They won’t see pretty pictures we see today; they will see ongoing demonstrations because that is what an embassy attracts.”   

Councillor Shafi Ahmed raised concerns over damage caused by protestors: “The Chinese Embassy will draw protests…Large gatherings cause real public damage. Is it truly well thought out to increase damage in an area with such important structures?” 

Referring to the incident in Manchester earlier this year when a protester was allegedly beaten at the Chinese consulate there, Ahmed said: “It has passed serious doubts onto the Chinese government’s ability to control the personnel conduct in the UK. This is causing deep concern for both residents and businesses in a borough where free speech and democracy are our core values.” 

The Crown Estate built Royal Mint Court’s residential complex over 30 years ago to house key workers. Owners of the flats were given a 126-year lease, but if China was successful in their embassy proposal then the Chinese government would have become the freeholder.

Mark Nygate, a resident of Royal Mint Court for 23 years, said: “This is a lovely place to live right in the centre of London, but we find ourselves asking how our lives will change once China moves in. When I am out there gardening will China worry that I am spying on them?”    

The decision of Tower Hamlets council to reject the development comes weeks after a meeting between U.K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chinese President Xi Jinping was cancelled and amidst what the BBC suggests is a worsening relationships between London and Beijing. The application has been transferred to the Mayor of London for further review.

Eastlondonlines has contacted the Chinese Embassy for comment.

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