UK government appeals high court decision to block Holocaust memorial

Published date29 April 2022
A plan to built the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens, a green space between the Houses of Parliament, the River Thames and the Milibank and Lambeth bridges, was approved by Housing Minister Christopher Pincher in late July

The plan calls for the memorial to be constructed out of 23 giant bronze fins and to also include an underground education centre. The plan was supported by over 170 MPs, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who described the project as "vital," according to BBC News.

But the memorial was challenged by several London groups who appealed to the High Court in April.

Their petition was granted this week, with the judge ruling that the $125 million plan would constitute an "exceptionally serious intrusion into a green public open space of the highest heritage significance."

The judge explained there was "an enduring obligation to retain the new garden land as a public garden and integral part of the existing Victoria Tower Gardens."

According to the Jewish Chronicle, a government spokesperson said that by appealing they "remain completely committed to constructing the memorial at this location, which was carefully selected...

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