The embassy at the former Royal Mint site was set to be the biggest foreign diplomatic outpost in England
(Picture: )A Chinese bid for a “super embassy” in London has been blocked by Tower Hamlets council following fierce opposition from locals.
The council voted, on Thursday evening, to reject planning permission for the new multi-million pound development on the site of the old Royal Mint near Tower Bridge.
China bought the 700,000 sq ft complex for £255 million in 2018 and had hoped to redevelop it.
But the 74-page planning application revealed residents’ concerns about the plans with some highlighting the “violent assault of protesters” at the Chinese consulate in Manchester and others fearing the building could become a “secret police station”.
At Thursday night’s hearing on the final decision, some locals even voiced fears that the embassy would put them at “heightened risk” of a terrorist attack.
Days before the vote, David Lake, chairman of the Grace’s Court Residents’ Association, said: “We are against the plans as they stand. We want to know our legal status.
“The land is owned by the Chinese government and technically they would be able to enter our homes.
“What if someone had a flag or poster supporting a political cause they don’t like, could they get it taken down? It’s a bizarre situation, we have not been told our legal status.
“What if we call the Met Police to one of our homes, but the zone is under Chinese jurisdiction and they are not allowed in? It’s ludicrous. We need clarity.”
The decision comes in the same week that Rishi Sunak declared that the “golden era” of good relations with Beijing was over and against a backdrop of the largest pro-democracy protests in China since Tiananmen Square.
While planning approval is a local matter, the decision can be “called in” by either the mayor of London or central government.
Michael Gove, the housing secretary, will now decide whether to take the application out of the hands of the local authority in Tower Hamlets.
