Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has granted planning permission and listed building consent for a new Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court in Tower Hamlets. The decision, issued on 20 January 2026, follows an independent inspector’s recommendation; the department confirmed the decision is final unless successfully challenged in court. (gov.uk)
The case was called in on 14 October 2024 and examined at a public inquiry held between 11 and 19 February 2025. The inspector recommended approval subject to conditions, and ministers determined the application on a quasi‑judicial basis in line with planning propriety guidance. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The decision letter explains that general objections based on the identity of the occupier or ethical considerations are not material planning matters. However, site‑specific national security issues linked to the proposed occupier can be material; these were considered alongside planning policy. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that conditional consent under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 (DCPA) was granted in May 2018, and that Exchange Square is not covered by diplomatic consent, so inviolability does not apply there. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
National security representations from the FCDO and Home Office raised earlier in January 2025 were addressed by November 2025, with no further concerns. On telecommunications, the Secretary of State recorded that there is no suggestion the permitted works would interfere with nearby cables and noted that no bodies with responsibility for national security objected on the basis of cable proximity or other underground infrastructure. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Security and public order conditions form part of the consent. These include an Events Management Plan to govern crowd and traffic control for events of different scales, space for police vehicles adjacent to the site, and a requirement to establish a steering group of statutory authorities and local stakeholders to inform the management of protests and large events. Physical measures include hostile vehicle mitigation, CCTV and street‑lighting upgrades. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Public access is specified through conditions. A new Heritage Interpretation Centre will be open free of charge to the public (set hours) with regulated access set out in the Events Management Plan. Separately, the FCDO recorded that Chinese officials agreed not to seek diplomatic consent over the publicly accessible paved forecourt (Exchange Square), enabling emergency services access without Head of Mission permission. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The Government’s documents also note the embassy proposal is connected to the consolidation of China’s accredited diplomatic premises in London. While the consolidation is being handled through diplomatic channels, it is not a matter determinative under planning law. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Local context is addressed in the record. Tower Hamlets had resolved that, were the decision theirs, it would have refused the 2024 application; however, the Metropolitan Police Service removed its objection in 2025 after concluding there is sufficient space to accommodate protests without significantly impacting the adjacent road network. The inquiry heard evidence on expected protest capacity and crowding assumptions. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Updating MPs, Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the Government had taken measures to increase the resilience of cables in the area and confirmed the Government had seen unredacted plans. He also stated the publicly accessible forecourt would not carry diplomatic immunity-aligning with the FCDO correspondence recorded in the decision letter. (news.sky.com)
Implementation now moves to compliance. Works must begin within three years. The Events Management Plan and associated steering group must be in place before occupation, and conditions govern public access, security management and site operations. The Department has confirmed the planning decision stands unless overturned by the courts. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Residents have indicated they intend to seek a judicial review of the decision; fundraising for potential litigation is under way. Any challenge would test the lawfulness of the decision-making process rather than rehearse the planning merits. (theguardian.com)