Sunak promises new law to deliver £100m Holocaust memorial

The government will introduce new legislation to take forward plans to build a £100m Holocaust memorial next to Parliament.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced in the House of Commons this week that the Holocaust Memorial Bill will remove an existing legal obstacle to the project.

Planning consent for a new memorial and learning centre in Westminster’s Victoria Tower Gardens was granted in July 2021 following a public inquiry. But the High Court quashed the decision in April 2022, due to historic legislation that requires the location to be maintained as a public garden.

Confirming the announcement, Sunak said: “This important bill brings us one step closer to delivering a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at the heart of our democracy in Westminster, where it rightly belongs.

“The memorial will honour the memory of those who were so cruelly murdered and preserve the testimonies of brave survivors so that future generations will never forget the horrors of the Holocaust.”

The venue will be free to visitors, with timed entry tickets. The government said that “careful design” means it will enhance the gardens, making sure they continue to provide an important public facility.

Turner & Townsend is the main project and cost manager for the scheme, while WSP is advising on M&E support. The architects are Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Associates and Gustafson Porter + Bowman.

The government is providing up to £75m to fund the project, with an additional £25m expected from charitable donations.

The decision to build the memorial at Victoria Tower Gardens was announced in January 2016. A planning application was submitted in December 2018, but was initially refused by Westminster Council.

Holocaust Educational Trust chief executive Karen Pollock said: “As the Holocaust fades further into history, and with survivors becoming fewer and frailer, time is of the essence.

“Located in the heart of our democracy, the UK Holocaust Memorial will send a clear signal for years to come of the place the Holocaust should always have in our national consciousness and the importance of learning its lessons for generations to come.”