A decision on China’s application for a new embassy in London is expected in the coming days, but those living next to the proposed site will be challenging it all the way. A group of 50 residents at Royal Mint Court in east London are determined to block the plans, which they say will threaten their privacy and safety.
The residents, who have formed the Royal Mint Residents’ Association, are engaged in a “David vs Goliath” battle against the Chinese government’s £255 million purchase of the former Royal Mint site in 2018. The proposed embassy, set to be the largest in Europe, would border the residents’ homes, with some flats just 8.5 metres from the embassy’s perimeter.
Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the residents’ association, said the group had tried to engage with the project’s developers but felt their concerns had been ignored. “Everything we asked them for, they just ignored. All they really wanted from us was a yes – they wanted us to agree to it being done and we just weren’t prepared to do that,” he told The Update Desk.
The residents’ concerns include the potential for protests outside the embassy, the risk of the site being targeted by violence, and the impact on their privacy. They also fear the Chinese government may eventually decide to “get rid” of their homes if the embassy is built.
National security concerns have also been raised by MPs from across the political spectrum. In a letter to the communities secretary, nine MPs cited “the recent track record of Chinese espionage cases, interference activities, and issuing of bounties against UK-based Hong Kongers” as reasons to reject the plans.
The site’s proximity to London’s financial district and critical data cables has fuelled these security worries, with the plans reportedly including 208 secret rooms and a hidden chamber.
Conservative councillor Peter Gold, who represents the nearby Tower Hamlets ward of Island Gardens, said he would support the residents’ association in any future legal challenge. “My biggest concern is national security. If [the government] grants it and there will be a judicial review, I will be moving heaven and earth to help them raise money, appeal and do anything I can,” he told The Update Desk.
The site also boasts the foundations of the 13th-century Eastminster Abbey, adding to concerns that the project poses a threat to London’s heritage. Gold said the abbey foundations and the 200-year-old mint building could have been “a wonderful tourist attraction” if the site was not developed.
The Chinese embassy in the UK declined to comment further when approached by The Update Desk. However, in a previous statement, the embassy said the development scheme “is of high quality and has been highly recognised by local professional bodies,” and that it “complies with diplomatic practice and local regulations and procedures.”
As the decision on the embassy plans looms, the residents of Royal Mint Court remain determined to fight the proposal, determined to protect their homes and the historic character of the site.