Claims of ‘government interference’ in decision on plans for vast outpost near Tower of London
Residents of Royal Mint Court plan to mount a legal challenge within weeks if Steve Reed, the local government secretary, approves China’s plans to build a vast new embassy at the site by the Tower of London on Tuesday.
Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the local Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, said people living near the proposed development had concerns about “government interference in what is supposed to be an independent process”.
The group has raised nearly £37,000 out of the £145,000 required to instruct lawyers to seek a judicial review if the decision goes against them. Others, Nygate added, had promised to make further donations if it came to it.
China already owns the freehold of residential properties next to the site, and Nygate and other people living there fear that if the development goes ahead they will one day be kicked out. “We will be looking directly at the 230 flats they want to build for embassy staff and guests; they won’t want us here,” he said.
