China gets approval for vast embassy in London

The UK communities secretary has given permission for China to build a vast embassy near the Tower of London after spy chiefs told him that the risks to national security could be controlled and dealt with.

- Dan Sabbagh Pippa Crerar

The decision by Steve Reed paves the way for Keir Starmer to visit Beijing in the coming weeks - though local residents plan to legally challenge the decision, potentially delaying the development by months or years.

Wider political concerns about China were not relevant to the planning process, the minister concluded. “Ethical or similar objections to the provision of an embassy for a specific country cannot be a material planning consideration,” Reed said as he largely endorsed a report from the department’s Planning Inspectorate.

MPs from across the political spectrum had voiced opposition to the application, but the security services said they could handle risks of espionage that might stem from the enlarged site, which is close to data cables running to the City of London.

Reed noted that neither the Home Office nor the Foreign Office, having discussed the issue with the police and the intelligence agencies, had any site-specific security concerns that would justify blocking the development.

“No bodies with responsibility for national security, including HO and FCDO [the Home Office and Foreign Office], have raised concerns or objected to the proposal on the basis ofthe proximity of the cables or other underground infrastructure,” Reed said. Nor had the owners of the cables raised any concerns either, he added.