LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – Britain’s approval for China to build a vast embassy in London was lawful, the High Court ruled on Friday, rejecting a legal challenge brought by a group of local residents.
China’s plans to build an embassy on the site of the two-century-old Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London were approved in January, shortly before then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China, the first by a British leader since 2018.
The decision was seen as part of a wide attempt to improve ties with Beijing despite British and U.S. politicians warning that it could be used as a base for spying. Britain’s intelligence agencies said any threat could be mitigated.
Local residents argued this month that the decision was unlawful, including because officials failed to take into account the risk that the new embassy could curtail protests or be used to monitor Chinese dissidents.
But the case brought by the Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association (RMCRA), representing a group of families and businesses who live in and operate from leasehold properties built at Royal Mint Court, was rejected by London’s High Court.
The court said in a summary of its ruling: “The RMCRA did not produce reasonable and convincing evidence of the likelihood that a violation of human rights affecting them personally would occur.”
The RMCRA’s grounds relating to the enforcement of planning conditions and an alleged failure to disclose relevant documents during an earlier inquiry into the plans were also dismissed.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden)
