Asked by: Lord Robathan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the World Heritage Committee in the State of Conservation report 2021 about the impact of the Holocaust Memorial Centre on the outstanding universal value of the Palace of Westminster.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The independent planning Inspector who considered the planning application for the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, took into account all evidence; including pre-application advice from Historic England in its capacity as statutory advisor, guidance from (International Council on Monuments and Sites - heritage advisors to UNESCO) and statements from the World Heritage Committee.
The assessment in the Inspector’s 2021 report was that: “…the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre would not result in compromise to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site because it does not harm it or its setting, thus conserving it.” Whilst the inspector's assessment pre-dates the Committee's decision relating to the 2021 State of Conservation Report, there was no substantive change in the Committee's position which reiterated earlier statements.