China has announced a second attempt to make safe plans for a large embassy at the Royal Mint site in London.
The most recent revised plan introduces some small-scale changes to the height of new buildings in the 600,000-square-foot embassy complex, which would be north of St Katharine’s Docks near the Tower of London.
The most recent planning documents submitted to Tower Hamlets City Council said the council’s resolution to reject the proposals in December 2022 for safety considerations and the effect on citizens was “unfounded” and “had no basis in the plan-making policy”.
The huge commission designed by David Chipperfield Architects includes only a gigantic embassy building, but also 225 apartments spread over a seven-storey building and a cultural exchange centre.
The aim is to renew the indexed Johnson Smirke and revise the existing seafarer register. The rest will require the large-scale demolition of two buildings to make way for new residences.
Among the client’s team, contractor BCEGI UK advises on structure management.
The application for building permit will first be processed through the Tower Hamlets Council, and the national government will worry if the proposal is rejected and China appeals.