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HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL PUBLIC INQUIRY

Proof of Evidence for Clare Annamalai

Witness on Park Use for the Thorney Island Society/Save Victoria Tower Gardens

Planning Inspectorate Reference: APP/X5990/V/19/3240661

City of Westminster Ref no: 19/00114/FULL

1.This is the proof of evidence of Clare Annamalai of London, SW1P, Local Resident and

Park User

2.The opinions in this statement are based on my personal experience. I have lived half a mile from Victoria Tower Gardens for the last 11 years, during which time I have been a frequent visitor to the park and playground with my children and our friends. We have watched the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, and the Great River Race over the wall of the park, and enjoyed the wonderful evening atmosphere created by the 2014 Spectra installation. I am a member of The Thorney Island Society, involved with the Save Victoria Tower Gardens campaign, and work as an arts manager.

3.I have set out in this proof my objections to the proposed construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre (HMLC) with ancillary works at the Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, London SW1P 3YB (VTG) all as more particularly described in Application (19/00114/FULL) “the Application”. This statement focuses particularly on the question of whether the proposed development, and the increased visitor activity it would generate, would result in the loss of public open space and the functionality and character of Victoria Tower Gardens for recreational purposes.

4.Loss of Public Open Space; Change to the Functionality and Character of Victoria Tower Gardens for Recreational Purposes The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how much people need and value open space for their mental as well as physical health. Locally accessible open space is essential for those without gardens, but it is also invaluable for community cohesion. Studies have shown that small local parks are as important for health and wellbeing as larger parks; the architects of London’s many garden squares understood the same. In this particular case, Victoria Tower Gardens is used by many local people in preference to the much larger St James’ Park, either because age or infirmity makes proximity important, or because they find the crowds of St James’ Park intimidating. For many local residents, especially those living south of the Horseferry Road, VTG is the only accessible open space. They come simply to get fresh air, feel grass beneath their feet and chat to their neighbours. Parents and guardians visit with children, and there is a large and sociable community of dog-walkers.

Victoria Tower Gardens also serves other communities, all of whom co-exist happily. Local office workers eat their lunch in the park, joggers and walkers take a peaceful diversion from busy Millbank. Tourists visit to view Rodin’s Burghers of Calais and the

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Buxton Memorial, or to take a break after visiting nearby attractions. The park regularly hosts events and is used by protesters and charity walkers. Luna Cinema shows films during the summer, MPs hold pancake races and dog shows and, of course, it is the regular backdrop to TV interviews.

The Horseferry Playground is relatively new, thoughtfully designed, and well used by young children. The nearest comparable playgrounds are at the Buckingham Palace end of St James’s Park and in the Archbishop’s Park, across the river (there are also small playgrounds right in the middle of the Grosvenor and Abbey Orchard Estates, but they are surrounded by buildings, with no green space nearby and mainly for residents).

If the HMLC is built in VTG, the park will not be able to be used in the ways described above.

4.1.The grass area, where people sit and play, will be severely reduced. By the detailed measurements of the London Parks and Gardens Trust the loss of grass is over 26%. Moreover, a large proportion of the remaining grass area will be sloped, to cover the roof of the learning centre. According to the submitted drawings the slope will in places be as steep as 1:6 upwards going from north to south, which is double the normal acceptable gradient for wheelchair ramps, which is 1:12 to 1:20. This slope will make it difficult for people to sit comfortably for picnics or gatherings, and it will be inaccessible to anyone using a wheelchair or baby buggy, particularly since it is likely to get worn away and become slippery, however suitable the type of grass. There will also need to be permanent fences on the slope, to prevent people climbing on the fins, or getting close to the rooflight embedded towards the bottom of the slope. These fences are not shown in the application documents, but they will further reduce the grass area.

4.2.The park will become a civic space, patrolled and controlled by security guards. The proposed HMLC is obtrusive by design, and the architects have stated that much of its impact will come from its contrast with the peaceful, elegant park. But in addition to that severe obtrusive impact, if the proposal goes ahead the park will not be peaceful, it will be teeming with people, and it will not be a park, but a civic space, patrolled and controlled by HMLC security guards. It has even been suggested that there will be a security guard patrolling the top of the artificial hill that we are told will still be usable green space. Visitors to HMLC will rightly expect a contemplative, sombre atmosphere around the memorial, whereas park users will reasonably expect to be able to picnic without oppressive surveillance, in the relaxed, relatively unconstrained atmosphere of an open green space. It is hard to see how these expectations can be reconciled. Yad Vashem is deliberately situated outside the centre of Jerusalem, so that the journey emotionally prepares the visitor for the experience and minimises the kind of casual disrespect that is often seen at the Berlin Holocaust memorial.

4.3.The HMLC will make VTG a less safe, more hostile space. The seven metre bulk of the memorial will reduce sightlines across and along the park. This will make it more difficult to keep track of young children, and the reduced visibility will make park users feel less comfortable and safe. The high wall along the eastern edge of the memorial will be an intimidating feature.

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4.4.The Horseferry Playground will be reduced in size. The application implies that the existing playground needs improvement, but in fact this is a popular and carefully designed playground. It is a well-defined space for children and parents, slightly separated from the main park area, and other park users respect that space. The HMLC proposal would shrink the playground north-south, and the addition of a café in the southern part of the playground would further reduce the play area. In order to reclaim space for the playground the HMLC proposal would reduce the perimeter shrubbery, meaning less shelter from the traffic noise and pollution of Abingdon Street. Experts in playground design all seem to agree that user consultation is an essential part of the design process1. The Royal Parks consulted with a range of community groups when designing the current Horseferry playground, and indeed UKHMF acknowledged that imperative in their own (Autumn 2018) exhibition boards, stating that ‘Our intention is to develop the [playground] proposals further through consultation with local groups’. Such consultation seems much needed, given that the Autumn 2018 proposals featured four tiny ‘examples of playground ideas’, which had been copied from the internet, whilst the Spring 2019 proposals did include a diagram of the playground, but without proper labelling. It does seem as though the playground has been an afterthought, thus far. But much more importantly, any consultation about the playground will be as tokenistic as the consultation about the memorial and learning centre has been, since the most material consideration – location – will not be up for discussion. Asa Bruno, of Ron Arad Studio, recently told an audience that ‘The juxtaposition of a playground with a Holocaust memorial is not something that we are accidentally allowing to happen, it is something we are encouraging. A Holocaust is something that can….unfortunately can happen to very civilized societies, and a lot of horrors were done very recently in playgrounds and schools and offices and homes throughout the period 1939 to 1945.2’ This is further evidence of the deliberately confrontational nature of this proposal, following on from Sir David Adjaye’s comment that ‘disrupting the pleasure of being in a park is key to the thinking’.

4.5.Cafe users and HMLC visitors will take over the playground area. As the only catering outlet in the park, the café proposed for the southern part of the playground is likely to attract HMLC visitors who will end up occupying much of the space of the playground and its seating areas. In addition, the queue of visitors waiting for security checks at the HMLC entrance may further crowd out the playground users, change the atmosphere of the space and make it harder to see and keep track of small children. Anyone who has supervised a child in a playground will know that they subconsciously match up children with the accompanying adults. It is an instinctive safety measure, and one of the reasons that many playgrounds prohibit unaccompanied adults. The addition of café users and HMLC visitors will make it much harder to do this, and to feel confident about safeguarding one’s own, and other people’s children.

1 Appendix 1 - ROSPA advice: https://www.rospa.com/play-safety/Advice/Design.aspx 2 Appendix 2 - Asa Bruno speaking to the Association of Jewish Refugees, April 2019 at Lancaster House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbUIqYUZUOs from 14:58 to 15:30.

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4.6.The proposed ‘improvements’ would be at the cost of the park’s character. Proponents and supporters of the HMLC scheme have suggested that VTG requires improvement3. A quick look at Instagram will demonstrate that most visitors to the park, whether from the UK or abroad, strongly disagree with any suggestion that the park is poorly maintained or unloved. The careful planting and maintenance by the Royal Parks, the rows of trees and simple expanse of lawn make this a congenial and picturesque place to spend time. But if there are indeed small drainage issues, these could be resolved much more easily and cheaply, with lower risk to the tree roots under the park, than by excavating the park to a depth of eight metres and covering large areas in hard surfacing, at a cost of £102m.

4.7.VTG is already very well used. It is hard to establish exactly how many people visit VTG, because visitor numbers are not monitored by Royal Parks, and because many visitors are transient: walking or jogging through the park but taking pleasure and benefit even from that short detour into green space. However, it is worth noting that Royal Parks manage 5000 acres of parkland, attracting 77.7 million visitors each year. VTG covers just 7 acres, so its share of visitors should be around 109 thousand visitors per year, or 300 per day. It is scarcely credible that VTG attracts fewer than 300 visitors per day, and in fact when Walk England installed a pedestrian counter at the gate nearest to the Palace of Westminster between 2005 and 2010, on behalf of The Jubilee Walkway Trust, the average footfall through the gate was 100 000 a month. It therefore seems likely that VTG is as well used as, or perhaps considerably better used than, the large Royal Parks.

5.Transport

5.1.Pedestrian travel to and from the park will be less safe. Adults and children entering or leaving the park will have to contend with coaches parked along the pavement of what is already a busy road. This will reduce visibility and safety even at the pedestrian crossings.

5.2.Cycle travel to and from the park will be less safe. There are numerous cycle routes in the vicinity of VTG which allow families to cycle safely to the park. The presence of coaches parking on Abingdon Street may make that small section of the journey prohibitively dangerous.

5.3.HMLC coach parking and servicing proposals will have a detrimental effect on air quality in and around the park.

6.Other material considerations: Scheme and Process

6.1.Much of this proposal runs counter to current wisdom. We have an obesity crisis and we know that children need safe open spaces in which to exercise. We have poor air quality, and we know that trees and parks are essential to reducing pollution. We have children who consume information from social media, digital platforms and online

3 Appendix 3 - Eric Pickles in the Jewish Chronicle, 23.8.19: “a dustbowl in summer and a quagmire in winter”; Appendix 4 - Ed Balls and Eric Pickles in the Jewish News, 3.10.18: “Victoria Tower Gardens is a much neglected park. It has poor drainage, which leads to trapped surface water in inclement weather creating mud during winter and hard dusty surface in summer. The grass is not hardy, nor the garden particularly well maintained.”

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teaching. And yet most of the UK’s school children would have to travel hundreds of miles to visit this relatively small learning centre, which would reduce open space and put mature trees at risk.

6.2.Opposition to the scheme combines amenity and heritage concerns. Opponents of this scheme (even those who live outside London) have been disparaged as NIMBYs4. Actually, there is some truth in this, only because those of us who do live very locally are lucky enough to have a very special ‘back yard’. As the backdrop to Parliament and an iconic postcard view of London, VTG is in a sense the nation’s back yard. Living nearby, we are motivated not only by a desire to save our local park, but also by a sense of responsibility for the national heritage on our doorstep.

6.3.The consultation process has been subverted by organisers of the HMLC. The public consultation on this proposal did not seem to be meaningful or sincere. At a meeting in March 2017 Sir Peter Bazalgette invited attendees to comment on the shortlisted designs, whilst refusing to discuss the problem of location. The designs then went on a national tour, but the winner was still chosen by a jury. It was evident at the Autumn 2018 public exhibition in Westminster, and even more so at the Spring 2019 public exhibition, that neither location nor design was really being consulted on. Nevertheless, over 1000 people were motivated to submit their objections on the Westminster planning portal, with the vast majority being thoughtful, personal and heartfelt. So it was galling to see last summer’s influx of two-line supportive comments, very few of which revealed much familiarity with the site, and which seemed to have been gathered and submitted mechanically5.Whilst it is of course entirely legitimate for people around the UK, and indeed the world, to have a say in the development of this important project, the way that these supportive comments were collected and uploaded en masse did not seem like the product of a level playing field. This bypassing of local planning processes made many local residents feel like their opinions counted for nothing. I include here some quotes from objections that were posted on the planning portal, to give an idea of the strength of feeling expressed.

6.3.1.I've lived on the Peabody Estate for over five years and suffer from depression. I knew that getting a dog has helped me to leave my flat which I have to do in order to get better and stop feeling so depressed. I go to Victoria Tower Gardens at least twice a day and always feel relieved. I see my dog running and talk to people in the park. It's a safe space for me and the dog. Being outside and seeing the green makes me forget I'm suffering from depression.

6.3.2.I used to manage the Royal Parks including this site. I continue to take an interest in their wellbeing… The proposal for this site is far too large and will dominate it. The nature of the development is such that it will require intrusive security and inevitably will adversely affect the use of the site by other users.

4 Appendix 5 - The Jewish Chronicle, 10 October 2018: Shoah charities defend national memorial plan;

5 Appendix 6 - The Times, 24 June 2019: PR firm Big Ideas hired to ‘rig’ decision on Holocaust memorial site; Appendix 7 - The Architect’s Journal, 4 June 2019: Government accused of trying to ‘rig’ Holocaust Memorial consultation;

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6.3.3.When I was a Governor of Peabody, we used to fret about the lack of green space available for our tenants on the Great Peter Street and Horseferry Road Estates. At least there was Victoria Tower Gardens for these densely populated social-housing blocks built at a time when this was one of the poorest sections of London.

6.3.4.It is inevitable that the memorial will be a tourist attraction both for domestic and overseas visitors. In addition to foot-traffic it is likely that coach parties which will change the nature of this park forever. I grew up in Blackprince Road on the South Bank in the 1940's and 50's and walked to this park, played in it, and enjoyed it. I am not asking for it to be kept in order to preserve the fond memories of an old man who knew the place as "the daisy park" and to whom the Buxton memorial is a "new addition" - but to ensure that future generations can also enjoy this resource as a plain, mainly grassed area. The promoters have stressed the fact that much of the memorial and learning centre is below ground, while trying to minimise the hard facts of just how much plain level grass area will be removed. Changing an area within one mile of Westminster to be plain, public-access grass is probably the most difficult challenge within the planning and property ownership sphere. Once we start biting into one slice of bread, then the extra nibble can always be justified until there is no bread left at all. Maintaining the status quo is not about preserving in aspic - it is about recognising the true value of an existing resource which we have. It is extremely unlikely that such a facility could ever be replaced within this vicinity. We often only appreciate the benefit of a resource after it has been lost.

6.3.5.It is unfortunate that this important memorial is causing such divided views. Victoria Tower Gardens is the wrong place due to its small size and importance to those who use it regularly - office workers, children and families, tourists. The damage to the old plane trees, the increased coach traffic, the security, the lack of respect for the Buxton Memorial, all cause huge concern and dismay. As someone who has used that park for 35 years it causes enormous dismay that everything that it gives to the area is about to be taken away. It will no longer be a green haven in this congested part of London.

6.3.6.The value of a park is not simply in its horticultural, or even in its open space, though these are both very worthwhile pleasures. Its most important quality is that it is a piece of free land, where all visitors can claim a sort of common ownership, an entitlement. It is not spoken for. It is not designated for a particular use. But do not make the mistake of inferring that it is therefore unused. This open quality is vital to what makes the Parliament beside it tick and should be jealously defended.

Summary statement of conclusions I can only conclude, taking into consideration all of the factors above, that construction of HMLC in VTG would reduce the publicly accessible green space and make the park a less safe, less welcoming place to visit.

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abouttheagegroupforwhichyouaredesigning;whetherthereareanyspecialrequirementsinthearea;

whatthelong-termmanagementwillprovide.

Playgroundsshouldbeusablebyallchildrenregardlessofability.

Equipment selectionEquipmentshouldbeappropriatefortheagegroupandmatchtheirdevelopmentalneeds-aswellasbeing

funtoplayon.Youngerchildrenlikesand-play,swinging,climbingandsliding-buttheyaresmallanditems

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roundaboutsetc.Theywantplaceswheretheycansitandtalk-thatisoneofthemostpopularplayground

ac�vi�es.Theylikeplan�ngandtrees;placesforskateboardsandbicycles;flatareasforballgames.

SurfacingHardsurfacesarenotrecommendedonplaygroundsotherthanfortheareasbetweenequipment.Thetype

ofsurfacetobeselecteddependsonthesite,theequipmentandtheamountofmaintenanceitwillreceive.

Ifonlyminimalmaintenanceisavailablealoose-fillmaterialsuchasbarkorsandmaynotbesuitable.In

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ManagementOnceithasbeenprovidedtheplaygroundrequiresregularinspec�onandmaintenanceandeventual

replacement.Unlessthiscanbeprovideditisbe�ernottostarttheproject.

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'I have no doubt it will be built' - EdBalls and Lord Pickles defendWestminster Holocaust Memorial plansahead of crunch vote

Former MPs fronting the controversial project explain why theythink it is important

Sir Eric Pickles (Photo: Flickr/Acumen Images) and Ed Balls

The debate over the National Holocaust Memorial in Westminster is set to come to a head nextmonth when the local council is expected �nally to vote on the plans.

More than four years since the then Prime Minister David Cameron announced the project inJanuary 2015, the two former MPs now fronting it hope the three-to-one ratio of messages sent toWestminster Council in support indicates the wind is in their favour.

Ed Balls, Labour’s former Children, Schools and Families Secretary, was appointed co-chairmanof the Holocaust Memorial Foundation last year with Lord Pickles, now the government’s specialenvoy for post-Holocaust issues and a former Communities Secretary.

Despite the opposition of such bodies as the Royal Parks and Historic England to the decision tolocate the monument in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to Parliament, Lord Pickles said this weekthat he had “not the slightest doubt it will be built”.

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While Mr Balls described his partnership with the Tory peer as “an unusual and unexpectedalliance”, it was evidence of the widespread political consensus backing the memorial and itsunderground learning centre.

The country’s �ve living former Prime Ministers have come out in support, as well as a coalitionof faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the chairman of the Mosques andImams Advisory Council and the head of the Catholic Church in England.

The latest plans for the Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Park Gardens

But earlier this month the emergence of a testy letter written in May to the two men by the leaderof Westminster Council, Nickie Aiken, suggested the project could be about to hit the planningbu�ers. She said it was heading for an “unfavourable recommendation” and criticised their“frankly o�ensive assertions” that the council was being swayed by the number of objectors.

Lord Pickles explained this week that they had written to her because “we were worried aboutsome antisemitic comments that were on the [council] portal which they had taken down, butthere was a persistent bunch of people that kept putting them back up.”

In the three months since, he added, “we’ve managed to come to an agreement” with many ofthe planning issues raised by the council leader. For example, the memorial will be moved a fewfeet away from tree roots. The council had, he stressed, been “extremely co-operative andhelpful”.

When Westminster Council’s planning committee convenes, the most important issue, he said,would be “the use of public land”.

On the JC website earlier this month, Barbara Weiss, the Jewish architect who co-founded theSave Victoria Tower Gardens campaign, contrasted the “small and delicate” garden with the“aggressively sculptural” project planned for it.

But Lord Pickles was adamant the memorial would enhance the garden, which currently was “adustbowl in summer and a quagmire in winter”. Drainage and pathways would be improved, treeroots better irrigated and there would be disabled access to the Thames.

“It will be a very attractive addition,” he said.

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Gufstafson, Porter and Bowman, the company which would be landscaping the gardens aroundthe memorial have just won the competition to landscape the trees around the Ei�el Tower.

Mr Balls said the “emphatic support” o�ered by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and newCommunities Secretary Robert Jenrick — whose mother-in-law is the daughter of Holocaustsurvivors — “gives us con�dence there is overwhelming support nationally for what we aretrying to achieve”.

Earlier this year, Mr Jenrick’s predecessor James Brokenshire pledged £25m on top of the £50mearmarked by David Cameron, with a matching £25m to be raised by an appeal led by GeraldRonson and former Conservative Party chair Lord Feldman.

Both Mr Balls and Lord Pickles remain �rm in their conviction the location of the memorial isessential.

“It was a parliament in Germany which made decisions to begin the process that culminated inthe Holocaust,” Mr Balls observed.

The current political climate of rising antisemitic attacks across the world and of increasingpopulism only made it more timely, he believed.

“This is the right time to remind our elected representatives and all of us that in our democraticsociety, the job of Parliament is to preserve the liberty of all,” he said.

“The Holocaust Memorial next to Parliament will be a daily and constant reminder to ourparliamentarians of what their duties and obligations are to all citizens, and not just some.”

In the learning centre, 80 per cent of the space will be dedicated to the Holocaust and around 20per cent to subsequent genocides.

In keeping with Lord Pickles’s original vision, it will have a strong focus on British reaction tothe events of the 1930s and 1940s. While some countries in Europe were trying to “rewrite theirhistory”, Lord Pickles said, the UK centre would take a “warts and all” approach.

“So for example when we talk about the Kindertransport, we will recognise it’s kinder becausewe wouldn’t let the parents in,” he said.

A board of historians to advise on content is in the process of being set up.

The two men recently launched the Foundation Stones initiative, inviting people across thecountry to paint stones in memory of a person murdered in the Holocaust or another genocide,which will be placed into the foundations of the proposed memorial.

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igni

fican

ce/

1/7

‘No

oth

er m

em

oria

l s

ite

co

me

s c

los

e t

o i

ts

sy

mb

oli

sm

an

d s

ign

i�c

an

ce

’E

d B

all

s a

nd

Lo

rd

Pic

kle

s, c

o-c

ha

irs o

f th

e H

olo

ca

ust

Me

mo

ria

l F

ou

nd

ati

on

, re

jec

t c

rit

icis

m o

f th

e p

ro

po

se

d

We

stm

inste

r S

ho

ah

me

mo

ria

l b

y J

ew

ish

pe

ers.

By E

D B

AL

LS

and

LO

RD

PIC

KL

ES

|O

cto

be

r 3

, 2

01

8, 1

1:1

9 a

m

- 15 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

2/7

Writ

ing e

xclu

siv

ely

fo

r J

ew

ish

new

s,

th

e c

o-ch

air

s o

f th

e H

olo

ca

ust M

em

oria

l F

ou

nd

atio

n,

Lo

rd

Eric

Pic

kle

s a

nd

Ed

Ba

lls,

resp

on

d t

o c

rit

icis

m f

ro

m e

igh

t J

ew

ish

peers t

his

week. 

Hol

ocau

st s

urvi

vor B

en H

elfg

ott w

ith n

ew c

o-ch

airs

of t

he U

K H

oloc

aust

Mem

oria

l Fou

ndat

ion,

Sir

Eric

Pic

kles

(lef

t) a

nd E

d Ba

lls (r

ight

) Pho

to: J

ohn

Rifk

in

- 16 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

3/7

Here,

th

ey e

xp

lain

wh

y t

he p

ro

po

sed

Westm

inster H

olo

ca

ust M

em

oria

l a

nd

Lea

rn

ing c

en

tre a

t V

icto

ria

To

wer

Ga

rd

en

s i

s t

he p

erfe

ct p

lace t

o r

em

em

ber t

ho

se w

ho

were k

ille

d:

We

have

no

doub

t tha

t Vic

tori

a To

wer

Gar

dens

is th

e be

st p

lace

to b

uild

a M

emor

ial t

o th

e H

oloc

aust

, and

a L

earn

ing

Cent

re.

The

site

sit

s �r

mly

on

the

stre

et o

f pow

er a

nd g

over

nmen

t in

Lond

on: s

tret

chin

g fr

om P

arlia

men

t alo

ng W

hite

hall,

pass

ing

Dow

ning

Str

eet a

nd th

e gr

eat m

inis

trie

s of

the

Seco

nd W

orld

War

. Her

e th

e Br

itis

h re

spon

se to

the

Hol

ocau

stw

as fo

rmul

ated

and

ena

cted

.

The

Mem

oria

l’s c

lose

pro

xim

ity

to P

arlia

men

t will

rem

ind

visi

tors

of t

he im

port

ance

of d

emoc

racy

in d

efea

ting

tyra

nny,

and

rem

ind

legi

slat

ors

that

Par

liam

ent h

as th

e po

wer

to p

rote

ct o

r opp

ress

its

citi

zens

. No

othe

r sit

e co

mes

even

clo

se in

off

erin

g th

is u

nam

bigu

ous

sym

bolis

m.

The

Gar

dens

are

alr

eady

the

hom

e to

mem

oria

ls th

at c

eleb

rate

the

�ght

aga

inst

sla

very

, ine

qual

ity

and

inju

stic

e. A

Hol

ocau

st M

emor

ial i

s a

perf

ect �

t to

this

long

est

ablis

hed

them

e of

the

Gar

dens

.

The

Lear

ning

Cen

tre

will

look

at t

he H

oloc

aust

thro

ugh

Brit

ish

eyes

and

exa

min

e su

bseq

uent

gen

ocid

es in

an

hone

stw

ay. A

t a ti

me

whe

n ot

her c

ount

ies

are

atte

mpt

ing

to re

wri

te h

isto

ry, B

rita

i n h

as a

cha

nce

to s

et a

n ex

ampl

e of

trut

hful

ness

.

Mem

bers

of t

he H

ouse

of L

ords

are

per

fect

ly e

ntit

led

to o

bjec

t to

any

deve

lopm

ent.

Par

ticu

larl

y if

they

hav

epr

oper

ties

nea

rby,

or t

heir

pla

ce o

f wor

k is

adj

acen

t, w

hich

in th

e ca

se o

f the

pro

pose

d H

oloc

aust

Mem

oria

l and

subt

erra

nean

Lea

rnin

g Ce

ntre

in V

icto

ria

Tow

er G

arde

ns is

cle

arly

the

case

. The

ir ri

ghts

are

no

diff

eren

t fro

m a

nyot

her c

itiz

en a

nd a

re b

ound

by

the

sam

e ru

les

and

proc

edur

es a

s ev

eryo

ne e

lse.

It w

ould

not

be

prud

ent t

o ex

pend

pub

lic m

oney

on

a fr

uitle

ss s

earc

h fo

r a n

on-e

xist

ent b

ette

r site

.”

“

- 17 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

4/7

Fron

t vie

w o

f the

cho

sen

desi

gn fo

r the

Hol

ocau

st m

emor

ial.

The

lett

er re

prod

uced

in th

e Ti

mes

on

Tues

day

sign

ed b

y a

num

ber o

f pee

rs b

etra

ys a

mis

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

the

stat

usof

the

draw

ings

, rec

entl

y re

leas

ed b

y U

KH

MF,

they

do

not r

epre

sent

a fo

rmal

pla

nnin

g ap

plic

atio

n, b

ut p

art o

f the

cons

ulta

tion

s le

adin

g up

to a

form

al s

ubm

issi

on w

hich

are

som

e w

eeks

aw

ay. T

he d

esig

n w

ill b

e m

odi�

ed fo

llow

ing

the

cons

ulta

tion

s.

- 18 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

5/7

The

lett

er a

lso

mak

es a

num

ber o

f sug

gest

ions

for a

lter

nati

ve s

ites

for t

he M

emor

ial,

thes

e m

ight

hav

e be

en s

ensi

bly

deba

ted

two

and

a ha

lf y

ears

ago

at t

he ti

me

the

anno

unce

men

t to

Parl

iam

ent i

n Ja

nuar

y 20

16 b

y th

e th

en P

rim

eM

inis

ter,

sele

ctin

g V

icto

ria

Tow

er G

arde

ns.

An

inte

rnat

iona

l com

peti

tion

for a

des

ign

for a

Mem

oria

l in

Vic

tori

a To

wer

Gar

dens

was

ann

ounc

ed in

Sep

tem

ber

2016

. The

com

peti

tion

was

sit

e sp

eci�

c an

d at

trac

ted

entr

ies

from

dis

ting

uish

ed a

rchi

tect

s fr

om a

roun

d th

e w

orld

.Th

e w

inni

ng te

am le

ad b

y Si

r Dav

id A

djay

e w

as a

nnou

nced

in O

ctob

er 2

017.

In M

arch

this

yea

r we

wer

e ap

poin

ted

toov

erse

e th

e co

nstr

ucti

on o

f a m

emor

ial a

nd le

arni

ng c

entr

e on

Vic

tori

a To

wer

Gar

dens

.

Non

e of

thes

e fa

cts

will

hav

e go

ne u

nnot

iced

by

thei

r Lor

dshi

ps, w

ho a

s la

wm

aker

s kn

ow th

e im

port

ance

of a

ctin

gti

mel

y an

d pr

uden

tly.

It is

not

tim

ely

to re

visi

t a d

ecis

ion

take

n tw

o an

d a

half

yea

rs a

go, n

or w

ould

it b

e pr

uden

t to

expe

nd p

ublic

mon

ey o

n a

frui

tles

s se

arch

for a

non

-exi

sten

t bet

ter s

ite.

- 19 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

6/7

Ed B

alls

and

Lor

d Pi

ckle

s

Vic

tori

a To

wer

Gar

dens

is a

muc

h ne

glec

ted

park

. It h

as p

oor d

rain

age,

whi

ch le

ads

to tr

appe

d su

rfac

e w

ater

inin

clem

ent w

eath

er c

reat

ing

mud

dur

ing

win

ter a

nd h

ard

dust

y su

rfac

e in

sum

mer

. The

gra

ss is

not

har

dy, n

or th

ega

rden

par

ticu

larl

y w

ell m

aint

aine

d. O

nly

the

fully

am

bula

nt c

an ta

ke fu

ll ad

vant

age

of th

e se

ated

vie

ws

by th

eri

vers

ide.

- 20 -

10/1

2/20

18'N

o ot

her m

emor

ial s

ite c

omes

clo

se to

its

sym

bolis

m a

nd s

igni

fican

ce' |

Jew

ish

New

s

http

s://j

ewis

hnew

s.tim

esof

isra

el.c

om/n

o-ot

her-m

emor

ial-s

ite-c

omes

-clo

se-in

-term

s-of

-sym

bolis

m-a

nd-s

igni

fican

ce/

7/7

The

deve

lopm

ent w

ill im

prov

e th

e dr

aina

ge to

the

bene

�t o

f the

gro

und

surf

ace

and

surr

ound

ing

tree

s of

feri

ng th

ema

mor

e se

cure

futu

re. W

e w

ill s

ow g

rass

sui

tabl

e to

the

park

s he

avy

use

and

mak

e th

e ri

vers

ide

wal

ks fr

iend

ly to

whe

elch

air u

sers

.

The

deve

lopm

ent w

ill e

nhan

ce th

e Pa

rk o

ffer

ing

impr

oved

vie

ws

of th

e Ri

ver T

ham

es a

nd th

e Pa

lace

of W

estm

inst

er.

The

Mem

oria

l tak

es u

p 7%

of t

he s

urfa

ce o

f the

Par

k, th

e Le

arni

ng C

entr

e w

ill b

e be

low

gro

und,

an

attr

acti

ve g

entl

esl

ope

will

add

to a

men

ity

of v

isit

ors.

We

will

con

tinu

e to

talk

con

stru

ctiv

ely

and

offe

r sen

sibl

e so

luti

ons

to m

atte

rs s

uch

as tr

af�c

and

sec

urit

y.

This

Mem

oria

l is

for t

he w

hole

nat

ion

and

futu

re g

ener

atio

ns. O

ne w

e ca

n al

l be

prou

d of

.

A p

erm

anen

t cha

lleng

e to

our

Par

liam

ent t

o le

arn

the

less

ons

of h

isto

ry a

nd p

lay

its

full

part

i n m

akin

g su

re th

etr

aged

y of

the

Hol

ocau

st c

an n

ever

be

repe

ated

.

RE

AD

MO

RE

:

·Opi

nion

·Ed B

alls

·Lord

Pic

kles

·Whi

teha

ll ·do

wni

ng s

treet

·Seco

nd W

orld

War

·Hol

ocau

st m

emor

ial

·Hol

ocau

st M

emor

ial a

nd s

ubte

rrane

an L

earn

ing

Cent

re in

Vic

toria

Tow

er G

arde

ns ·Vi

ctor

ia T

ower

Gar

dens

·UKH

MF

- 21 -

/

Shoah charities defend nationalmemorial plan

Three domestic Holocaust charities have poured cold water onobjections raised by a cross-party group of Jewish peers

Three domestic Holocaust charities have defended plans for a national memorial centre incentral London, pouring cold water on new objections raised by a cross-party group of Jewishpeers.

The chief executives the Holocaust Education Trust (HET), the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust(HMDT) and the National Holocaust Centre hit back at the claim that its proposed location —adjacent to Parliament — conveys an impression of national guilt.

In the strongest criticism of the project so far from within the Jewish community, the peersargued in a letter to the Times that the location and design “evokes neither the Holocaust norJewish history, and the risk is that is purpose will not be obvious to passers-by and it will not betreated with appropriate respect”.

It was signed by Lord Sterling, the President of AJEX; Baroness Deech, who has been active inHolocaust restitution; Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation;Conservative peer Lord Grade, Labour peer Lord Haskel; Lord Mitchell, who resigned from theLabour Party over antisemitism; Lib Dem peer Lord Palmer; and Lord Turnberg, former presidentof the Royal College of Physicians.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of HET, said: “Alongside excellent Holocaust education initiativesalready being delivered across the country, this memorial will enable a much wider audience to

- 22 -

/

learn about the past, Britain’s relationship with the Holocaust and its contemporary relevancetoday.”

Olivia Marks-Woldman, the chief executive of the HMDT, added that the project will be a “�ttingtribute” to victims of the Shoah, while Phil Lyons, chief executive of the National HolocaustCentre, in Nottinghamshire, said the site is “hugely appropriate”.

Some suspect that opposition to the bid is motivated by “NIMBY-ism”. In August, the Timesreported that local residents and environmentalists warned that Victoria Tower Gardens, one ofthe smallest of the Royal Parks, would be “all but obliterated” by the £50 million project.

Worthing West MP Sir Peter Bottomley questioned how Victoria Park Gardens came to bechosen as the location, having been omitted from a September 2015 report by the UK HolocaustMemorial Foundation (UKHMF).

Sir Peter told the JC the nearby Imperial War Museum (IWM), in Lambeth, which hascommissioned a £33.5 million expansion to its own existing Holocaust exhibition, would be amore suitable site.

He said: “Nobody outside the foundation knew how the Victoria Tower Gardens had beenchosen. There was no explanation of how this project met the speci�cations set out in the reportrelating to easy access and security.

“There was also no suggestion of how the running costs will be met. Virtually nothing set out inthe speci�cations has been met by these plans.

“I would ask the government to look at how the current proposal matches what was set out, andhow the Imperial War Museum would also match the speci�cations.”

Sir Peter owns a home near to the proposed Victoria Tower Gardens, although he claimed hisinterest in the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is motivated by his Jewish ancestry.

The IWM, which attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year to its Holocaust exhibition, alsourged a re-think of the project, warning it would “very much divide the public o�er on learningabout the Holocaust.”

The UKHMF defended the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre project, saying it will"remind us all that a central role of democracy is to encourage tolerance between of ethnic,religious and racial di�erences."

A UKHMF spokesman said: "No location in Britain is more suitable for the Memorial thanVictoria Tower Gardens, alongside Parliament and amidst prominent memorials commemoratingthe struggle against slavery, inequality and injustice. "The plans we exhibited to local residents in September retain 93% of the open space. We willenhance the park through improved, more accessible pathways and drainage as well as clearerviews of the river Thames."

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UK- 23 -

/

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- 26 -

The Times 24 June 2019

PR firm Big Ideas hired to ‘rig’ decision on Holocaust memorial site Jonathan Morrison, Architecture Correspondent The government has been accused of rigging its campaign to build a £100 million

Holocaust memorial next to the Houses of Parliament.

Thousands of positive comments about the scheme have been submitted to

Westminster city council since a company called Big Ideas was hired at a cost of

£118,000 to the taxpayer to help with “public engagement”.

The council is expected to grant planning permission for the largely subterranean

monument and education centre in Victoria Tower Gardens in the autumn, despite

opposition from the Royal Parks, Historic England, the Environment Agency and

Unesco.

Since Big Ideas was taken on, there has been a remarkable shift in the number and

nature of comments. The Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign, representing local

residents, said the government was “paying consultants to rig its own planning

application”.

From January 8, when public consultation opened, until May 13, the council website

received 144 comments supporting the application and 866 comments opposing it: a

ratio of six to one against. From May 14, when Big Ideas started its campaign in

earnest, to June 18, 2,824 supportive comments were received, with 160 in

opposition: a ratio of almost 18 to one in favour.

The average number of supportive comments a day leapt from 1.15 to 122.74 since

the public relations firm was engaged. Many were just a few words long.

Paul Diamond, a leading barrister specialising in public law, believes that there are

legal concerns over the nature of the consultation process, not least because the

comments need to be taken in context. He argues that under the Sedley

Requirements, a set of legal tests, the views of a local resident, who might be affected

by extra traffic, deserve to be given more weight than those of someone who has no

stake.

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“It’s not like going down the pub and giving everyone a fiver for their opinion,” he

said. “The purpose of consulting is to ascertain public views. It is not an extension of

government policy. You cannot have a public body using public funds to engineer a

political result. If this comes before the courts they will also consider how, under the

European Convention, governments have to act fairly when infringing public rights.”

The Ministry of Housing, which is supervising the project, responded: “We don’t

recognise these allegations. Big Ideas is being funded to encourage local and national

conversations on the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. The final

planning decision sits with Westminster council.”

Despite the opposition, the project, instigated by David Cameron in 2016, has been

backed by all five living prime ministers. The memorial, which had to be redesigned

by its architect, Sir David Adjaye, in April, has also received support from 174 MPs

and peers, including the Labour peer Lord Dubs, a Kindertransport refugee, Sadiq

Khan, the London mayor, and local rabbis.

“We know there are strong feelings on both sides of this application and it will be

considered in the same way we would any other sensitive scheme,” a Westminster

council said. “We have processes in place for handling, and giving the appropriate

weight to, organised campaigns.”

Big Ideas was approached for comment but did not respond. Previously, when asked

about the claim of “rigging” the consultation, a spokeswoman said Big Ideas was

trying to “support access to accurate information and opportunity to comment”.

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6/4/2019 Government accused of trying to ‘rig’ Holocaust Memorial consultation | News | Architects Journal

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Government accused of trying to ‘rig’ Holocaust Memorial consultation

4 June, 2019  By Ella Jessel

The government has been accused of trying to ‘rig’ the consultation for Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad’s controversial

Holocaust Memorial after its public engagement campaign led to a spike in supportive comments

The government has confirmed that it paid £118,000 to engagement consultant Big Ideas for supporting the UK Holocaust Memorial

Foundation (UKHMF) planning application.

According to Big Ideas, the campaign is supporting ‘public participation’ and enabling people to give their views on the planning portal

with a particular focus on groups where ‘access is a barrier to participation’. 

But it has come under scrutiny from opponents of the memorial, who have accused the government of attempting to ‘rig’ the planning

application by bulk posting comments.

According to Save Victoria Tower Gardens (SVTG), the number of supportive comments sent to the planning authority, Westminster

Council, has grown from an average of one a day to 149 a day.

The campaigners say that the consultant, which posted 384 positive responses in one day, has overseen a ‘complete reversal in the

balance of comments’.

The consultant has been collecting responses through a questionnaire which asks respondents whether they support the plans and the

location, and requests permission to submit comments on their behalf.

As it stands, the application has attracted 965 objections and 2,834 messages of support.

Clare Annamalai, of the Save Victoria Tower Gardens campaign, said: ‘The increasing desperation of the government has now led it to

use taxpayers’ money to create a veneer of support for this unpopular project.

‘However noble the purpose, trying to squeeze a big museum into a tiny park is never going to work.’ 

Adjaye and Arad’s Holocaust Memorial – which the architects recently redesigned – has proved deeply divisive, drawing heavyweight

objections from Historic England, the UK branch of Icomos (the International Council on Monuments and Sites) and the Royal Parks. 

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6/4/2019 Government accused of trying to ‘rig’ Holocaust Memorial consultation | News | Architects Journal

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But while its critics argue the small park by the Thames in Westminster is the wrong location for the project, its supporters argue that

siting it next to the Houses of Parliament is symbolic.

Housing secretary James Brokenshire has claimed the memorial would act as a reminder that the ‘central role of democracy is to

encourage tolerance’.

The project is also supported by UK Holocaust memorial charities the Holocaust Educational Trust and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust,

while a letter of support has been sent by the rabbis of nine Westminster synagogues. 

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: ‘The council cannot express support or opposition to live planning applications.

‘We know there are strong feelings on both sides of this application and it will be considered in the same way we would any other

sensitive scheme.

‘We have processes in place for handling – and giving the appropriate weight to – organised campaigns. This scheme will be

considered on its merits and in line with council policy at a future planning committee.’

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government declined to comment. Big Ideas has also been approached for a

response. 

Readers' comments (1)

barbara weiss 3 June, 2019 11:00 pm

It is very sad that the Government is resorting to 'dirty tricks' and the use of undue pressure to get its project over the planning

line. It is indeed patently obvious that the vast majority of those who have signed up to the Big Ideas questionnaire have no

knowledge whatsoever of the park in question, or of the planning issues at stake. Mob rule taking on the British planning system?

is this really the democratic ideal that the UKHMF is trying to promote by locating this wretched project next to Parliament?

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