- Holocaust Memorial Bill will update historic legislation and
progress the building of a new memorial and learning centre in
Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster
- Located next to the Houses of Parliament, memorial will serve
as a powerful reminder to the whole of society
- Memorial and learning centre will be free to visitors and its
careful design means the memorial will enhance the gardens.
The Government will introduce new legislation to progress the
construction of a national Holocaust memorial.
The Prime Minister announced in the House of Commons yesterday
(25 January) that the Holocaust Memorial Bill will update
historic legislation, removing a statutory obstacle that has
previously prevented the building of a new memorial and
learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens in Westminster.
Located next to the Houses of Parliament, the memorial will serve
as a powerful reminder to the whole of society of the Holocaust,
its victims and where prejudice can lead if unchallenged.
The Prime Minister, , said:
“This important Bill brings us one step closer to delivering a
national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at the heart of
our democracy in Westminster, where it rightly belongs.
“The Memorial will honour the memory of those who were so cruelly
murdered and preserve the testimonies of brave survivors so that
future generations will never forget the horrors of the
holocaust.
“As the remaining survivors become older and fewer in number, it
is vital that we push ahead with the Memorial which is supported
by all major political parties.”
Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities,
said:
“As the Holocaust moves from living history, to history, it
becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the
six million Jewish men, women and children murdered and pay
tribute to the survivors.
“We are committed to building the Memorial next to
Parliament, a site which reflects its national significance and
is close to other important memorials including the Cenotaph.
“We owe it to Holocaust survivors, to the British people and
future generations to remember where hatred can lead.”
Rt Hon and Rt Hon Lord , Co-chairs of the UK Holocaust
Memorial Foundation said:
“As the generation of brave Holocaust survivors passes away, we
have a duty to create this memorial to make sure that the memory
and the truth of the Holocaust is preserved.
“Victoria Tower Gardens, at the heart of Westminster and
alongside the great symbol and heart of our democracy, is
absolutely the right place to construct the national Memorial to
the Holocaust.”
Manfred Goldberg BEM, a Holocaust survivor who was held captive
in Stutthof concentration camp, Poland, said:
“Several years ago survivors were promised a Holocaust Memorial
in close proximity to the Houses of Parliament. I am a 92 year
old survivor who would be so grateful to be alive when this
project, uniquely situated next to the Mother of Parliaments,
comes to fruition.”
Planning consent for the Holocaust Memorial to be built in
Victoria Tower Gardens was granted in July 2021, but the decision
was quashed by the High Court in April 2022 due to historic
legislation that requires the garden to be maintained as a garden
open to the public.
The memorial and learning centre will be free to visitors, with
timed entry tickets.
Careful design means the memorial will enhance the gardens,
ensuring they continue to provide an important public garden
available to residents and visitors to Westminster. Paths and
seating will be more attractive, accessible and landscaping
improvements will enhance the local environment, maintaining
public access.
Holocaust Educational Trust Chief Executive Karen Pollock said:
“As the Holocaust fades further into history, and with survivors
becoming fewer and frailer, time is of the essence. Located in
the heart of our democracy, the UK Holocaust Memorial will send a
clear signal for years to come of the place the Holocaust should
always have in our national consciousness and the importance of
learning its lessons for generations to come.”
The proposal to construct a new national Memorial to the
Holocaust, with an accompanying learning centre, was announced by
the then Prime Minister with cross-party support in January 2015,
and the decision to build the memorial at Victoria Tower Gardens
was announced in January 2016.
Following an international competition, a design team of Adjaye
Associates, Ron Arad Associates and Gustafson Porter + Bowman was
selected. A planning application was submitted in December 2018
and planning consent was granted in July 2021, following a
lengthy public inquiry.
A High Court judgment in April 2022 found that the London County
Council (Improvements) Act 1900 imposed an obligation to maintain
Victoria Tower Gardens as a public garden, and that this
obligation was an obstacle to construction of the Holocaust
Memorial at that site. Based on this conclusion, the High Court
quashed the decision to grant planning consent.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- · As the High Court quashed the earlier decision to grant
planning consent, the decision needs to be re-taken by the
designated Minister. Strict handling arrangements are in place
within the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities
to ensure that there is a functional separation between the
persons bringing forward the proposal for development and the
persons responsible for determining that proposal.
