Parliament has enacted the Holocaust Memorial Act 2026, receiving Royal Assent on 22 January 2026. The law provides a defined legal route to deliver a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre by granting spending powers and removing an historic statutory barrier at Victoria Tower Gardens. (gov.uk)
Section 1 authorises the Secretary of State to incur expenditure for the construction of a memorial and an associated learning centre, including works on, over or under land, with ancillary or associated activity. It also enables spending on the use, operation, maintenance and improvement of the memorial and centre, with costs met from money provided by Parliament. (bills.parliament.uk)
For clarity, the Act defines construction broadly to include erection, extension, alteration and re‑erection. This ensures authorisation covers both above‑ground elements and any below‑ground learning space contemplated for the scheme. (bills.parliament.uk)
Section 2 disapplies section 8(1) and (8) of the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900 in relation to the activities authorised by Section 1 on the land described in that 1900 Act-Victoria Tower Gardens in the City of Westminster-so those provisions no longer prevent or restrict the project. (publications.parliament.uk)
Section 3 sets the statute’s territorial extent as England and Wales, provides for commencement two months after Royal Assent, and gives the short title “Holocaust Memorial Act 2026”. In practical terms, the Act will take effect in late March 2026. (bills.parliament.uk)
The legislation does not grant planning permission. The government has confirmed the existing planning application remains live and will be re‑determined by a designated minister who is separate from the project, with all usual consents still required. (publications.parliament.uk)
Because the measure proceeded as a hybrid bill, Parliament treated the narrow principle-authorising expenditure and removing the 1900 restriction at Victoria Tower Gardens-as settled at second reading; petitions on those settled points were out of scope for the Select Committee. (publications.parliament.uk)
Financial context discussed in the House of Lords indicated a philanthropic contribution of around £25 million alongside public funding, with operating costs estimated at £6.5–£8.5 million per year; earlier debates cited a capital estimate of about £138.8 million before contingency. These figures pre‑date Royal Assent and may be updated. (hansard.parliament.uk)
For authorities and stakeholders, the immediate effect-once the commencement period ends-is that the specific statutory bar created by the 1900 Act falls away for this scheme. Thereafter the project proceeds under normal planning and heritage controls rather than a standalone prohibition in primary legislation. (bills.parliament.uk)
Next steps to watch include the formal commencement two months after 22 January 2026 and the forthcoming planning redetermination by the designated minister, followed by any updated costings and delivery timetable issued by the sponsoring department. (gov.uk)