£4bn Palace of Westminster revamp under review

All aspects of the £4bn revamp are to be reviewed, including cost, timescale and scope of the project.

Under the terms of the review, plans to move the House of Commons into temporary accommodation at Parliament’s Northern Estate could also be altered or scrapped. The House of Lords is expected to move temporarily to the QEII Conference Centre, opposite Westminster Abbey, in Westminster.

The restoration project aims to address structural and maintenance issues across the Palace, as well as improving access and protecting its heritage. Issues include antiquated heating, ventilation, electrical, water and drainage systems. Stonework renewal, refurbishment of windows and plumbing and an upgrade of fire safety systems will also be undertaken.

MPs last year passed a Bill which enables restoration to take place during the next decade.

However, concerns over the project have been raised with the National Audit Office (NAO) warning that it could be hit with unnecessary cost increases and delays if risks are not mitigated at an early stage.

There have also been concerns around fire safety, following a fire at Notre Dame which broke out during a similar restoration job.

The review will consider and make recommendations on:

• whether the current solutions present value for money
• what compromises would need to be made to save money
• what opportunities exist for a simpler, quicker and cheaper temporary accommodation
• how ways of working developed in response to Covid-19 affect options or requirements for temporary accommodation

The review will be led by Sarah Johnson, the Sponsor Body chief executive, and will involve infrastructure and programme management experts drawn from the Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority.

Johnson said: “The restoration and renewal of the Houses of Parliament will be the biggest and most complex heritage project ever undertaken in the UK, protecting one of the world’s most recognisable buildings and likely to support thousands of jobs across the country.

“The Sponsor Body has been set up to ensure that the project is delivered in the most efficient way that delivers value for money. It is entirely appropriate that we should pause at this time to consider the validity of recommendations made over five years ago before either the Sponsor Body or Delivery Authority was formed.

“The impact of the current health crisis on public finances and Parliament’s ways of working has made it even more essential that we review both the strategy for relocating the two Houses and the scope of the restoration of the Palace.”

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