THE TEMPORARYTHE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY | 1 HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY www.savebritainsheritage.orgJune 2019 2 | THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY £400m to demolish and replace SAVE Britain’s Heritage is extremely a 30-year-old grade II* listed concerned about the proposed building is a waste of public money. demolition of Richmond House, a grade II* listed building, less than There are quicker, cheaper and thirty years old. This beautiful, much less destructive alternatives modern building lies in the heart of than the demolition of Richmond the parliamentary estate and in the House. The full facts are not being Whitehall Conservation Area. It was presented. Information is being built to exemplary standards, of withheld. high quality materials. Its modelled façades were designed to intricately compliment two other highly regarded buildings, Norman Shaw North and South, named after their architect. Richmond House was listed on the advice of Historic England, the government’s own heritage advisers. Any other public or private owner under English planning law would be required to justify the demolition of a highly listed public building. www.savebritainsheritage.org THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY | 3 The plans currently out for consultation are unjustified the point where the press stand is erected on for the following reasons: Remembrance Day to allow photographers to get the best pictures of this uniquely solemn occasion. m Wasteful unnecessary destruction: The A security pavilion on Whitehall will obstruct views plans include the complete demolition of grade of the retained façade of Richmond House, and II* listed Richmond House apart from parts block the public space in front the building. of the front façade on Whitehall. Demolition and redevelopment of this site will cost at least Until now it has been thought that Peers would fend £400million. The ‘temporary chamber’ will be a for themselves in a requisitioned Queen Elizabeth II permanent, hugely expensive building project and Conference Centre (currently one of London’s three there are no firm plans for its future use. major conference venues). Now it emerges that this too could require hugely expensive security measures m There are alternative sites: There are at least – ironic because the award winning building has just 8 alternative sites in the vicinity of Richmond been painstakingly refurbished at a cost of £13m – a House and Whitehall that do not involve the level major works programme to rid it of clutter, show off of waste, expense and destruction as currently the original design and bring it up to international proposed. The feasibility reports of these other conference venue standards. Now it is evident that options have not been produced – despite as the centre sits outside the security footprint of the repeated requests. The site of the temporary parliamentary/Whitehall estate, a new security barrier Commons Chamber could have been resolved may be required - which would impact on neighbouring already but for the insistence of the Parliamentary businesses, as well as the outlook from the UNESCO authorities that the temporary chamber must world heritage site of Westminster Abbey. replicate the exact form and dimensions of the existing chamber. It is increasingly clear this stands Further proposed works involve the destruction of in the way of a reasonable solution. The House another important example of Post Modernism of Commons must recognise that the size and architecture. The large annexe added behind No 1 form of the Chamber can be adjusted to achieve Parliament Street was designed by Sir Hugh Casson, a a quicker, cheaper solution and that for example past President of the Royal Academy and opened by electronic voting could be adopted in place of the Prince Charles in 1991. It is set to be demolished as space-consuming division lobbies. part of the wider Northern Estate plans. m Richmond House can be refurbished as The proposed demolition plans lack justification. No exemplar, low energy offices: This is an alternative feasibility options for other sites have been opportunity for Parliament to lead by example published. on climate change and sustainability. Richmond House is beautifully designed with high quality materials. It could be refurbished as an exemplar How can we know that the low energy, naturally ventilated office building. In carbon terms, the demolition of this building is demolition option is the best value the equivalent of over 15,000 flights from London option when no comparisons have to New York. See the Mark Hines report for SAVE Britain’s Heritage here. been presented? m Fortress Westminster: The proposed 3m high railings along the length of Parliament Street and Why is Parliament proposing the around the replacement Richmond House are demolition of its own historic reminiscent of Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles and dramatically reduce the accessible buildings and our heritage without public space in front of the Cenotaph at precisely robust scrutiny? www.savebritainsheritage.org 4 | THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE SITES 1. Horseguards Parade as proposed by Foster & Partners and Sir John Ritblat (provides temporary Chambers for both Houses – the Commons and the Lords) 2. Car park of Ministry of Defence 3. a) and b) Main courtyard of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HM Treasury courtyard 4. Courtyard of existing Richmond House (where the Chamber could fit if the dimensions of the chamber were adjusted) 5. Portcullis House Atrium as proposed by Sir Michael Hopkins 6. Church House (this served as the Chamber of the Lords during World War II and has extensive offices for Peers and staff) 7. College Green (now used by Broadcasters) 8. Victoria Gardens (currently chosen site for Holocaust Museum) www.savebritainsheritage.org THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY | 5 PRINCIPAL ALTERNATIVES Three alternatives schemes which do not require the m The second alternative is an imaginative scheme destruction of Richmond House are presented here: from Foster and Partners to build a temporary Parliament on Horseguards Parade. m Plans prepared for SAVE by Ian Chalk Architects and Hopkins Architects show how a temporary m Sir Michael Hopkins has also shown how a chamber could fit within the courtyards of the temporary Commons Chamber could fit within Foreign and Commonwealth Office building or the the Atrium of Portcullis House. adjoining Government Office on Great George Street, otherwise known as the HM Treasury and HMRC building, on the corner of Parliament Street and Great George Street. THE LARGE TREASURY AND FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE COURTYARDS At SAVE’s instigation Ian Chalk Architects and Hopkins within the courtyard of the existing buildings. As shown, Architects have produced drawings showing how the these would be temporary but robust structures. They two chambers could be located across HM Treasury could be reduced in size if the division lobbies were Relocation of Parliament Chambers and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The replaced by electronic voting (see images below and chambers, associated lobbies and galleries could fit overleaf). The two chambers could be moved to the courtyards of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ian Chalk Architects and the HM Treasury/HMRC building Ian Chalk Architects June 2019 www.savebritainsheritage.org Local Figureground d E c YAR TERRA NERS o d N o M . MMISSI ch PoRTcuLLIS houSE ST RI co E dg RI b tunnel PARLIAMENT ST. Local Figureground underground existing ` underground extrnded connection PARLIAMENT SQ. STREET WNINg do d E c YAR TERRA NERS o d N o M . MMISSI ch PoRTcuLLIS houSE ST RI co E dg RI 6 | THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR MPs MUST NOT BE A FOLLY b . tunnel ST PARLIAMENT ST. underground Local Figureground chARLES existing ` kINg underground extrnded connection d E c YAR TERRA NERS o d PARLIAMENT SQ. N o M . MMISSI ch PoRTcuLLIS houSE ST RI co E dg RI b tunnel STREET PARLIAMENT ST. underground existing ` WNINg d n rou underg do ed d ction ne extrnn co PARLIAMENT SQ. FoREIgN ANd coMMoNWEALTh ET STRE INg WN do oFFIcE h.M TREASuRY . ST chARLES kINg FoREIgN ANd coMMoNWEALTh oFFIcE h.M TREASuRY . ST gEoRgE houSE oF coMMoNS gREAT cIRcuLATIoN PRoMENAdE ANd . TEMPoRARY MP AccoMModATIoN houSE oF LoRdS ST SEcuRE PERIMETER IMPERIAL WAR RooMS dEFENSIbLE oPENINgS PubLIc ENTRANcE PubLIc AccESS MP AccESS houRSE guARdS Rd. chARLES ExISTINg uNdERgRouNd RAIL TuNNELS ExTENSIoN oF ExISTINg TuNNEL To PRovIdE RouTE INTo h.M TREASuRY Ian Chalk Architects June 2019 kINg . ST gEoRgE houSE oF coMMoNS FoREIgN ANd coMMoNWEALTh gREAT oFFIcE h.M TREASuRY cIRcuLATIoN PRoMENAdE ANd TEMPoRARY MP AccoMModATIoN houSE oF LoRdS . ST gEoRgE houSE oSEF cocuMMREoNS PERIMETER gREAT IMPERIAL WAR cIRcuLATIoN PRoMENAdE ANd RooMS TEMPoRARYdEFENSI MP AccoMMbLEodATI ooNPENINgS PubLIc ENTRANcE houSE oF LoRdS PubLIc AccESS SEcuRE PERIMETER MP AccESS houRSE guARdS Rd. IMPERIAL WAR RooMS dEFENSIbLE oPENINgS PubLIc ENTRANcE PubLIc AccESS MP AccESSExISTINg uNdERgRouNd RAIL TuNNELS houRSE guARdS Rd. ExISTINgE uxNTENSIdERgRouoNdN RAIL o TFu NNELSExISTINg TuNNEL To ExTENSIPRoN oovF ExIISTINdEg RTuouNNELTE To INTo h M TREASuRY PRovIdE RouTE INTo h .M TREASuRY . Ian Chalk Architects Ian Chalk Architects June 2019 June 2019 The two chambers would be connected via a link building in King Charles Street Ian Chalk Architects Though feasibility studies for these sites have been would echo the existing branch tunnel leading from produced, Parliament has refused to release them. Westminster underground station into Portcullis House Instead they have been ruled out as beyond the secure for pass holder access to the Palace of Westminster. perimeter of Parliament’s Northern Estate. This new branch tunnel could be secured against intrusion or unauthorised access through use of security There is already a London Underground underpass June 2019 rated portals similar to those used in the main entranceIan Chalk Architects beneath Parliament Street at the Parliament end of of Portcullis House.