cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/51861696

The Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association (RMCRA) has filed a High Court challenge to the UK Government’s decision to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of the Royal Mint Court site into a new Chinese “super-embassy”.

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RMCRA is supported in its legal challenge by the Inter‑Parliamentary Alliance on China and is represented by law firm Leigh Day.

RMCRA residents live in around 100 homes in St Mary Graces Court, the residential part of Royal Mint Court that sits directly beside the proposed embassy site.

RMCRA argues that the Government’s decision was unlawful, procedurally unfair, and failed to take into account key factors including the implications of granting planning permission for a site already designated as diplomatic premises, and therefore given special legal protection that prevents the UK from entering the site or enforcing planning rules there.

Residents also say the Government approved the development without properly addressing everyday issues such as the impact of potential protests, emergency access and public safety, and without explaining how the UK can enforce safety‑critical conditions on premises that it is legally barred from entering.

Residents are also challenging the decision to commit public money to national security measures linked to the development. On the same day planning permission was granted, the Minister for Security announced a package of Government‑funded measures to protect sensitive telecommunications infrastructure near the site. Residents argue that the public money spent on these measures should have been openly assessed as part of the decision.

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