To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the extent and duration of public consultation prior to the decision to site the National Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens; and what was the cost of that consultation.
Answered on
9 March 2017
A nationwide public consultation was conducted in 2014 by the Prime Minister's Holocaust Commission, which received almost 2500 responses. The resulting recommendation to establish a new National Memorial to the Holocaust with a co-located education centre, prominently located in central London, was welcomed by all main political parties. The costs of this exercise were not recorded separately.
The cross-party United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, which advises Government in taking these recommendations forward, then, over an 18 month period, conducted a search of London for the best possible site for such an important project. More than fifty sites were considered and the Foundation found that by far the most fitting, prominent and powerful location for the new memorial and education centre was alongside parliament in Victoria Tower Gardens, a site owned by Government.
The Foundation is now consulting with local residents, as well as members of the public all around the United Kingdom, on the choice of design team to take the project forward. As with all developments, the project will be subject to the full democratic planning process and all the appropriate consultations.