The UK government has approved a controversial plan for a Holocaust museum next to the Palace of Westminster and Houses of Parliament. Government Planning Minister Chris Pincher on Thursday backed a planning inspector who said the multi-million-dollar scheme for the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens should go ahead, reports Xinhua news agency.
Critics of the project have condemned the siting of the museum, next to the Palace of Westminster, home of the Houses of Lords and Commons and close to Westminster Abbey.
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The scheme will see the museum on a site close to London’s landmark Big Ben clock tower and will involve an underground basement mezzanine in a landscaped area.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the decision tweeting “We have a duty to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten and that it will continue to be taught to future generations.”
In a 14-page ruling, Pincher concluded that the important public benefits of the scheme are sufficient to demonstrably outweigh the identified harm that the proposals have been found to cause.
Save Victoria Tower Gardens, a campaign group, waged a battle against the project, saying while there is undoubtedly a need for Holocaust education, an alternative site should be found, adding that its lawyers are reading the full decision and considering the next steps.
The plans, including 23 large bronze sculptures and an underground learning center, were previously rejected by Westminster Council.
The decision has been overturned following an inquiry.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was “delighted”, but concerns have been raised that the site could become a target for terrorists.
However, the government said it was confident the memorial, to be built on Victoria Tower Gardens with work starting later this year, would be secure.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans for the project in 2016, but it has been beset by disagreements over its meaning, as well as public safety and possible harm to parkland.
(With IANS inputs)
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