Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal (R&R) client board has published a new report outlining costed proposals for the restoration of the Palace of Westminster, and recommending the start of a £3bn, seven-year first phase of works.
The report, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals, will be considered by both Houses, which are expected to vote on a motion to determine the way forward.
The client board said the publication marked “significant progress towards securing the future of the home of the [UK’s] Parliament”, describing the Palace of Westminster as “a place of work for thousands of people and a destination for more than a million visitors every year”.
Most of the building dates from the Victorian era, while some parts are much older. The board said that “over the decades, its fabric and its services have deteriorated and require substantial repair or replacement”, adding that Parliament is “beyond the point where putting off these major works is sustainable”.
While acknowledging “the very high costs involved in an infrastructure programme of this scale, complexity and duration”, the client board said the programme would continue to give “due regard” to advice from the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee and HM Treasury.
It also outlined the future economic benefits of the programme, highlighting that it will support thousands of jobs and apprenticeships, and unlock opportunities for businesses, from modern construction specialists to traditional craftspeople.
£3bn initial phase of works
The board has recommended that both Houses approve an initial phase of works lasting seven years and capped at £3bn.
The phase one programme would begin this year and is intended to build momentum for the wider restoration.
The proposed works include building temporary chamber and office space to support future moves, preparations for the restoration of the medieval Cloister Court, interior refurbishment of Victoria Tower, the start of underground construction, and the construction of a river jetty for construction deliveries.
The board described this approach as “a pragmatic way forward in line with emerging best practice”, adding that lessons from other major programmes will allow Parliament to make its statutory decision “with the benefit of more detailed and robust estimates”.
Long-term delivery options
Alongside the phase one recommendation, the board has proposed reducing the number of long-term delivery options to two. This, it said, would “bear down on costs and enable further focused development of the ‘full decant’ and ‘enhanced maintenance and improvement+’ options” while the phase one works get underway.
The board said this would give members of both Houses “a genuine choice between two options with differing approaches to decant” when they are asked to make a final decision on the preferred delivery model, no later than 2030.
Calling for action, the client board said a decision was now required “to get on with this work to safeguard the future of Parliament’s home” and prevent “the gradual and costly managed decline” of the building.
The board added that surveys “consistently show the British public expect us to restore the building” and said there was a duty “to future generations to act now”.
