Tomorrow, 6 October 2020, marks the beginning of the Public Inquiry that is due to lead to a decision being taken about the construction of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and underground Learning Centre within Victoria Tower Gardens, our much-loved, poetic green enclave, bound on one side by a river wall to the Thames, and another by the Houses of Parliament.

The Public Inquiry will last 4-5 weeks, spread across October and November (the current end date is 13 November), with, on average, 3 virtual sessions being held every day, mornings and afternoons except on Mondays.  If you are interested in following it (and it will no doubt be fascinating to hear the arguments from both sides) you can access it from your own homes via this link: https://youtu.be/bRMJW7Oha3Q

Members of the public are welcome to participate, but given the complexity of the case, the Inspector is keen to avoid repetition of the main arguments for or against.  If you wish to find out more, or wish to speak, you can write to :helen.skinner@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Since I last wrote, the Judicial Review has come and gone, a moment of great excitement that resulted in our side winning one argument and losing another.  The Government was castigated for not having implemented sufficiently convincing “handling arrangements” to guarantee a total separation between its two internal functions ( applicant and also decision-maker –we consider this to be a conflict of Interest), but the judge sadly did not consider our qualms sufficiently serious to suggest that a final decision on this matter should be taken away from the Minister who is currently designated to make it.  We are of course troubled by this decision and currently very seriously considering an appeal….

Before going further, I must once again wholeheartedly thank all of you for having allowed us to get to this point.  Without your wonderfully generous contributions to our war chest we could not have done this.  I can assure you that every day we are counting our pennies, balancing our expenditure between expert fees, PR opportunities, and other legal costs of all kinds. 

Many new donors have come forward in the past few weeks; we are therefore feeling less anxious about our financial position, but we are, by no means, yet out of the woods, particularly if we are to appeal!  So please direct our way anyone who might be sympathetic to this great cause.  If we win, the whole of London will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that future generations have been spared the destruction of one of its secret gems.

I will do my best to update you on the course of the Inquiry.  You will be interested to know that the main players are:

The applicant (the Government) - proposing the building

Westminster City Council – opposing

Then there are a number of Rule 6 Parties, for and against:

Against:

Save Victoria Tower Gardens  (us!) in collaboration with The Thorney Island Society (our local amenity society)

London Parks and Gardens  - a charity

Baroness Deech with a number of supporters, including several from Holocaust Educational backgrounds

For:

Learning from the Righteous

There will then also be a large number of members of the public acting as Interested Parties. We do not yet know who or how many.

Wish us luck!