Parliament requires urgent repairs (Image: Mike Gimelfarb/Wikipedia)
The proposed £4bn restoration programme for the Palace of Westminster is to be debated by MPs early in the new year.
The Parliament building requires major and increasingly urgent repairs, and on Thursday 11 January 2018, the House of Commons will discuss how best to carry out the work.
Last year, the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster, which was established to examine possible options for carrying out this work, said that the building “faces an impending crisis” which cannot responsibly be ignored.
It said there is a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace.
The government’s motion, which is yet to be published, is expected to allow for a sponsor board and delivery authority to be established, to oversee and deliver the programme and consider the options for how the work could be delivered.
The government has indicated that the three likely options are:
- Full move out – both Houses move out of the Palace for the duration of the works;
- Partial move out – one House will move out at a time;
- A foothold is retained in Parliament, for example in Westminster Hall, during the works.
The government has also indicated that once the risks, costs and benefits of the options have been explored, and if both Houses agree with the sponsor board’s recommended option following a further vote, then the chosen option will be taken forward to the design and delivery phase.
It is expected that the House of Lords will also hold its debate shortly after the Commons.
Architect BDP and consultant CH2M have been been appointed to manage the programme of restoration works, which has an estimated price tag of £4bn.
There are concerns over the likely cost of the scheme after the contract value of the Big Ben restoration, where Sir Robert McAlpine is main contractor, almost trebled to £61m last month.
Image: Mike Gimelfarb/Wikipedia
