China’s plans for huge new embassy in London shot down by local council

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China’s plans to build a new embassy near the Tower of London faced a fresh roadblock this week after local authorities voted to reject the proposal citing potential security risks and traffic snarls.

The Chinese government six years ago purchased Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, but has since faced mounting opposition in its bid to open the biggest diplomatic compound in Britain and Beijing’s largest embassy in Europe.

So far China has failed to gain planning permission to build a new embassy over 20,000sqm of land. The proposed embassy would be about 18 per cent bigger than the US embassy in London, which opened in 2018 with 48,000sqm of space.

Politicians in Tower Hamlets district on Monday unanimously voted against the plans in yet another setback for China’s lofty ambitions in London. The Tower Hamlets council earlier said the proposed embassy compound could train local police resources, increase road congestion and negatively impact the area surrounding the Tower of London.

“The proposed embassy would result in adverse impacts on local tourism, due to concerns over the effect of potential protests, acts of terrorism, and related security mitigation measures on the sensitive backdrop of nationally significant tourist attractions,” the council had claimed.

The central government in October announced that it would make the final decision about whether to approve the contested application, but the views of local residents and council will be considered at a planning inquiry early next year.

Housing secretary Angela Rayner would hold a local inquiry into the matter “to consider all the relevant aspects of the proposed development”.

Chinese officials have reportedly expressed frustration with the British government over its failure to help secure planning permission at official-level meetings. A Chinese embassy spokesperson in August said host countries “have the international obligation to support and facilitate the building of the premises of diplomatic missions”.

China and the UK “should provide facilitation to each other” in this respect, the spokesperson added.

A planning inquiry to decide whether to approve the embassy is due to take place over eight days next year with a decision made at the latest by May.

British prime minister Keir Starmer said last month that he had asked ministers to examine the plans submitted by China after president Xi Jinping raised the matter with him.