Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Residents living next to China’s proposed “mega” embassy in London have taken the first formal step in pursuit of a judicial review of the UK government’s approval for the diplomatic complex.
Residents of Royal Mint Court have written to the UK government legal department on Thursday night, issuing a pre-application letter setting out grounds for the embassy to be reviewed by a judge.
In 2018 when the Chinese government bought 5.4 acres on the site of the former Royal Mint, the purchase included the freehold to about 100 flats across four residential blocks at the edge of the plot. These residential buildings lie outside the proposed perimeter for the embassy, which is set to become Beijing’s largest diplomatic mission in Europe.
Many of the residents living on the Chinese government-owned land have vocally opposed the proposed diplomatic complex, however. Their concerns span the potential surveillance of their homes by the Chinese state, as well as fears that the freeholder may in future attempt to evict them and bulldoze the flats to build a security wall.
The battle over the proposals has dragged on, following an initial decision by Tower Hamlets council to block the Chinese government’s initial planning application on security grounds in 2022.
In October 2024, then-housing secretary Angela Rayner called in the stalled planning decision, taking it out of the hands of the local authority. She launched a local inquiry into the proposals.
After months of political wrangling, the decision to award Beijing the green light to proceed with the embassy was granted by Steve Reed, current housing secretary, last month.
In their pre-claim letter, the residents association set out five grounds on which they believe the approval should be overturned.
They argued that the approval is legally flawed because protocols around diplomatic inviolability make it impossible to enforce the safety conditions the UK government has imposed on the plans.
Their pre-claim letter also argues that the failure to disclose critical security assessments during the public inquiry amounts to a procedural unfairness.
In addition, they claim that the decision was improperly influenced by “immaterial considerations” including broader criteria regarding UK-Chinese relations and the desire to secure planning approval from Beijing for an overhaul of the UK embassy in the Chinese capital.
They are seeking disclosure of relevant documents and communications between the UK government and China over the planning approval.
The residents association has raised almost £41,500 in crowdfunding to support the next stage in its legal battle as it applies for permission for a judicial review of the UK government’s decision.
They are backed by campaigners who warn the Chinese embassy poses an espionage risk, in part because sensitive data cables that run into the City of London lie nearby.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Chinese embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
