A British court has ruled that the planned construction of a new Chinese “mega” embassy in central London can go forward, dismissing a lawsuit that sought to block it.
The High Court's ruling on Friday rejected the legal challenge brought by The Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, which alleged that the embassy's development poses human rights risks to residents, including Chinese critics and dissidents.
Two judges, sitting remotely, ruled that the residents' “claims are … dismissed,” stating that the housing minister and the London borough of Tower Hamlets had acted lawfully in granting planning permission in January.
China's plans to build the embassy on the site of the two-century-old Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London, were approved shortly before former Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China.
The residents' association, representing families and businesses in about 100 properties near the proposed site, argued that the embassy could lead to “terror” attacks, suppression of protests, and could be used to spy on and enforce “draconian” Chinese laws on UK soil.
The association also raised fire safety concerns, noting that the UK government would be unable to enforce British safety obligations due to diplomatic immunity.
“Beijing thinks this judgement is the final word. It isn't. The appeal is already in the works,” said Luke Pollard, head of the residents' association. “If they expect us to roll over and allow our own capital to become a CCP power centre, they have completely misjudged the strength of opposition to this mega embassy.”
Beijing purchased the site of the historic former Royal Mint, next to the Tower of London, in 2018 for a reported $327 million. The 20,000-square-meter site is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets defended their decision, saying they had “conscientiously and carefully had regard” to residents' concerns in their planning.
Source: www.aljazeera.com