Residents living near the proposed site of a new Chinese mega-embassy in London are fighting against the plans, citing concerns over security, privacy, and the impact on their community.
Contentious proposals for a new Chinese mega-embassy in central London have sparked geopolitical wrangling at the highest levels of government. However, another party is demanding to be heard: a band of local residents. When the Beijing administration purchased the site of the old Royal Mint next to the Tower of London in 2018, its aim was to build the largest Chinese diplomatic complex in Europe. This 5.
4-acre purchase encompassed resplendent Georgian architecture, the ruins of a 14th-century Cistercian abbey, and the freehold to about 100 flats across four residential blocks. Many residents currently residing on the Chinese-government-owned land oppose the proposed embassy complex but feel their voices have been ignored as China has exerted pressure on the UK government to expedite its application for planning permission. 'We're definitely pawns in a wider geopolitical game,' says Mark Nygate, 64, a management accountant and vocal critic of the plan, leading the Royal Mint Court Residents Association. After early victories in the protracted battle, including a decision by Tower Hamlets council to reject the Chinese state's initial planning application on security grounds in 2022, Nygate and his neighbors are now entering their final skirmish, apprehensive about their prospects. Their latest crowdfunding effort for what they call their 'David vs Goliath' fight has raised only £370 of its £30,000 target to secure legal counsel for a public inquiry into the proposals, scheduled to gather evidence and conduct site inspections this month. Nygate's ground-floor flat, where he has lived for 27 years, is the closest to the perimeter of the proposed embassy complex, just 8.5 meters from a wooden fence marking the rear boundary of the diplomatic site. While much of the site is protected by fortress-like walls, the Chinese government plans to have only a fence here, raising anxiety among Nygate and other residents that the area adjacent to their homes would be vulnerable to potential attacks. Violent terror attacks, disruptive protests, and traffic disturbances are among the potential threats to local safety and quality of life if construction of the Chinese embassy proceeds, according to a scathing report by security group Crilly Consulting commissioned by concerned residents. Some residents spoke to the Financial Times on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions from their freeholder—the Chinese government. Others in nearby streets also oppose the plan but declined to speak publicly due to their connections with companies ultimately owned by Chinese enterprises. One resident of Royal Mint Court expressed their suspicion that Beijing's ultimate objective was to 'get us out' of the properties, demolish the residential blocks, and then construct superior fortifications. In 2020, the Chinese consulate in Belfast erected a new boundary wall without planning permission. When the city council sought a court injunction, the Chinese consulate successfully argued that diplomatic immunity meant the court lacked jurisdiction over the land. The uncertainty surrounding the London site has depreciated the value and saleability of the flats, Nygate argues, as he describes the toll the battle has taken on him and some of his neighbors. 'It's certainly been very stressful. You don't know whether you'll be living here in a few years' time … The pressure is impacting work and perhaps, in some ways, my mental state as well,' he says. His other concerns encompass potential surveillance of the area by the Chinese state and limitations on activities taking place there. He is an avid photographer who enjoys capturing images of beans growing in his vegetable patch, which borders the perimeter of the proposed embassy. He worries that using his camera near the sensitive site could incite confrontations with embassy security guards. Another resident voiced their anger towards the UK government for disregarding the objections of local people regarding the proposals. 'I'm appalled. The ministers, the government, have a duty to British citizens first, then the duty under the agreement'—a convention obligating a state to assist other nations in carrying out their diplomatic work on its territory. In recent months, several British cabinet ministers appear to have aligned themselves behind China's latest planning application, submitted last summer. Housing secretary Angela Rayner announced she would be assuming control of the decision just days before foreign secretary David Lammy flew to Beijing last October to strengthen engagement with the Chinese government. Subsequently, it emerged that British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chinese president Xi Jinping had discussed the embassy. In the latest intervention, Lammy and home secretary Yvette Cooper last month signaled their support for the application—albeit with conditions.
GEO POLITICAL WRANGLING CHINESE EMBASSY LONDON RESIDENTS PLANNING PERMISSION SECURITY CONCERNS DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY
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