Communities secretary: Government ‘implacably’ committed to Westminster memorial
Robert Jenrick spoke after Westminster City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to oppose the proposal for a national Holocaust memorial and learning centre
The Government remains “implacably” committed to building a Holocaust memorial and learning centre near Parliament, the communities secretary Robert Jenrick said on Tuesday.
Jenrick spoke as Westminster City Council voted unanimously to oppose the proposal backed by the prime minister Boris Johnson.
A final decision will be made by the housing minister – now Esther McVey – in the summer. It will follow the publication of a report by the planning inspector after a public inquiry – to which Tuesday’s vote will be submitted.
“2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. As fewer survivors remain with us it is more important than ever for us to come together to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust and all other victims of Nazi persecution,” Jenrick said in a statement.
He added: “The Government remains implacably committed to the construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre right at the heart of our democracy, beside our national parliament to ensure that future generations never forget.
“No one, whether in national or local government should shirk their duty to deliver on the promise of this memorial, and the government certainly will not.”
The council deliberations – which ran for close to three hours – saw councillors on the local authority’s planning committee unanimously oppose the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens.
The Grade-II* listed park falls partly within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Westminster.
Councillors warned the application would harm heritage assets, obstruct views of the Buxton Memorial and the lowers parts of the Palace of Westminster, cause the loss of open, public green space and incur possible environmental damage.
Speaking out against the application, Labour councillor David Boothroyd welled up, as he hit out against the council’s “iniquitous position … [of] having to decide whether to disappoint people who are making points about their local park with perfect sincerity, or to refuse the Holocaust memorial centre within a fortnight of Holocaust Memorial Day.”
Conservative councillor Robert Rigby, chairman of planning, said the council would have “very likely” accepted plans to build a “much smaller” memorial in the park.
Stressing the role of remembrance, Rigby said that Westminster City Council is behind the “principle” of a memorial to the Holocaust in central London but cited heritage concerns.”We absolutely understand the emotion and the depth of feeling that this issue engenders, and we think it is right that the secretary of state will make the final decision on this application,” he said.
But he added: “However, if it were Westminster City Council taking a decision on the application, it would have been refused on heritage grounds; the location in Victoria Tower Gardens, its size and design would cause considerable harm and would have a significant, detrimental impact on one of the few remaining green spaces on the Thames Embankment.”
The vote followed a series of representations from objectors and supporters including Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Speaking in favour of the proposal, the Bergen Belsen survivor Mala Tribich warned the lessons of the holocaust “are yet to be learnt.” As survivors grow older, she told the meeting, “a memorial next to parliament where decisions are made will help us to learn the lessons that we have not done so far.”
But the Save Victoria Tower Gardens activist Nina Grunfeld said it would strip the park of its “character” and turn it into the “antechamber to the Holocaust Learning Centre, a civic space with the security and loss of freedom.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
