Holocaust memorial outside Parliament wins the go-ahead
Ministers reject opposition from residents and grant planning permission for the £100million project
A NATIONAL Holocaust memorial will be built next to Parliament after ministers rejected claims by campaigners that the location was unsuitable.
Chris Pincher, the housing minister, yesterday signed off on the £100million proposal to build the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
It will stand as a focal point of national remembrance for the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, as well all other victims of Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides. The centre, which will be free for visitors to enter “in perpetuity” is due to open in 2024 and will include 23 large bronze sculptures and an underground learning centre.
It will be built using £75million from the Treasury and £25million in charitable donations. Visiting the site with Holocaust survivors yesterday,
Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, said he hoped the memorial would be visited by millions and help “educate and inform future generations about the horrors of the Holocaust”.
Writing on The Telegraph website, Mr Jenrick said: “It will serve as a continual reminder to us all of why we need to make a stand against antisemitism, racism and hatred, whenever and wherever we find it”.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has also praised the move, stating that there was “something uniquely powerful about locating a memorial to the Holocaust right next to the centre of the
UK’S democracy”. The decision overturned a previous ruling by Westminster council, which last year rejected the plans in the face of local opposition and claims that it contravened planning rules on size, design and location.
While the plan for a national memorial was first set in motion by David Cameron in 2013, the location has been criticised by some groups, including Historic England which fears important archaeological remains could be lost.
The fiercest opposition has come from the group Save Victoria Tower Gardens, which claims that the open space in the area should be protected for community use.
Threatening to appeal the decision yesterday, Baroness Deech, a crossbench peer and member of the campaign group, told the BBC: “We passionately believe that the Holocaust should be remembered, but we believe that this ill-considered and damaging proposal will do a disservice to victims and survivors, and little to enhance understanding and respect.”
However, Whitehall sources claimed the site would take up just seven per cent of space in the park.