UK court dismisses challenge against new Chinese embassy in London / Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS - AFP/File
UK court dismisses challenge against new Chinese embassy in London
A top British court on Friday threw out a challenge against planning permission for a Chinese "mega" embassy in central London, but residents seeking to block the contentious project vowed to fight on.
A campaign group of local residents and businesses had taken their case to the High Court. They argued the vast new embassy next to the Tower of London would increase the risk of a terror attack and of espionage and harassment of dissidents and protesters.
After a hearing this month, two judges on Friday ruled remotely that the residents "claims are ... dismissed", saying the housing minister and London district of Tower Hamlets had acted lawfully by granting planning permission in January.
The Royal Mint Court Residents Association on Friday said it would apply for permission to appeal, hoping its case will reach the UK Supreme Court. It said it had relaunched crowdfunding efforts to fund legal costs.
"Beijing thinks this judgment is the final word. It isn't. The appeal is already in the works," Luke Pollard, head of the residents' association, said in a statement.
"If they expect us to roll over and allow our own capital to become a CCP power centre, they have completely misjudged the strength of opposition to this mega embassy."
Beijing bought the site of the historic former Royal Mint, next to the Tower of London, in 2018 for a reported $327 million.
It plans to relocate its embassy there, and then-foreign minister Boris Johnson granted diplomatic consent.
The 20,000-square-metre (235,000-square-foot) site is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area.
But the plan has been delayed by fierce opposition from nearby residents, rights groups and critics of China's ruling Communist Party, to the frustration of the Chinese government.
In January, the plan was finally granted planning permission under Keir Starmer's government, shortly before he made a visit to Beijing, despite criticism from opposition politicians, human rights groups and US President Donald Trump.
- 'Concealed chamber' -
The UK published planning documents showing the embassy's projected floor space would exceed 50,000 square metres.
This would make it London's largest embassy, ahead of the new 12-storey US home around 5.1 kilometres (3.2 miles) to the southwest.
It would also make it the largest Chinese embassy in Western Europe, and likely the largest embassy of any country in the region, by floor space.
The Daily Telegraph said it had obtained unredacted plans that showed Beijing reportedly plans to construct a "concealed chamber" among "secret rooms" underneath the embassy which would be close to sensitive underground communications cables.
Then-security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs "any risks are being appropriately managed".
He quoted heads of intelligence agencies as saying they had helped to develop a "range of measures" to manage any risks.
Beijing would also consolidate its seven current London sites into one, "bringing clear security advantages," he said.
R.Sutherland--EWJ
Featured