Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements, if any, they have made to transfer control of all or part of Victoria Tower Gardens to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, or another department, to enable the planned construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and whether they intend to attach conditions to such a transfer to safeguard the interests of the Gardens' current users.

The Government’s aim, as part of the programme to establish the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, is to enhance Victoria Tower Gardens so that they can continue to be appreciated by everyone living in, working in or visiting the area. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are discussing the arrangements which can best ensure safe and efficient construction while maintaining access to the Gardens. Those arrangements may include transfer of title for part of the gardens, especially in order to provide a suitably long lease for the Memorial and Learning Centre.