Yesterday the Holocaust Memorial Act was granted Royal Assent, finally allowing the project to go ahead
The Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre has had blockers removed, and will be built in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Located next to Parliament, the project has previously been difficult to push forward, but the new legislation will allow it to move on with cross-party support.
The project struggled to get planning permission
Planning consent was granted for the project in 2021, but the following year the High Court quashed it, as the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900 presented an obstacle to building in Victoria Tower Gardens.
The Holocaust Memorial Bill was then introduced in 2023 to provide that section 8 of the 1900 Act should not prevent the project from moving forward.
Now with Royal Assent, the project is closer to being started in earnest.
The memorial has been designed by Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad Architects, and features a series of bronze fins that lead to an underground learning centre that allows visitors to learn about and remember the victims of the holocaust.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “We must do everything possible to advance Holocaust education while we still have survivors able to guide us – and I am pleased we are able to move one step closer to delivering this memorial.
“Having met survivors, heard their shattering and inspiring testimonies, and walked through Auschwitz myself, I know how vital it is that every generation has the chance to learn from their wisdom and courage. Their stories are proof of the light and hope that endures even after humanity’s darkest days.
“Located at the heart of our democracy, this memorial will help us remember where hatred and indifference can lead. It will strengthen our national commitment to challenge prejudice wherever it appears and to defend the values that bind us together.
“This is how we make ‘never again’ not just a principle of remembrance, but a promise we uphold – a collective responsibility to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are neither forgotten nor ignored.”
The Holocaust Memorial is one of several new memorials in London
In June last year, the winning design of the Queen Elizabeth II memorial was selected, with the glass bridge designed by Yinka Shonibare CBE and Michel Desvigne in St James’s Park selected to go ahead.
Inspired by the Queen’s tiara, the design will feature sculptures and a new Prince Philip Gate and gardens dedicated to the Commonwealth and United Kingdom.
The concept won the competition but he final design is expected in April this year.
Committee chair Robin Janvrin said: “Selecting the winner was no easy task. All five of the shortlisted teams produced creative designs of the highest quality.
“Foster + Partners’ ambitious and thoughtful masterplan will allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong values, common sense and optimism throughout her long reign.”
