A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said:
"A planning application to develop the site and for listed building consent was made to the Council last year and the Secretary of State took the decision that she would “call-in” the applications so that she, and not the Council, would be the ultimate decision maker.
"The process now being followed is that a public inquiry will be held in front of a Planning Inspector from 11th- 18th February. Following the inquiry, the Inspector will recommend to the Secretary of State whether permission should be granted or not. The Secretary of State will then make the final decision.
"On 9th December 2024 the Council’s Strategic Development Committee resolved that if the decision whether to grant permission had remained a decision for the Council to take, then the application would have been refused. The Metropolitan Police attended Committee and spoke very persuasively about issues surrounding the application. These representations were taken into account by Committee members and helped to inform the Committee’s putative reason for refusal based on the highway safety impacts of an embassy, linked to large crowds during protests in this prominent location.
"The Council has been notified by the Metropolitan Police that it has formally removed its objection to the planning application as it feels there is sufficient space for future protests to be accommodated without significantly impacting the adjacent road network.
"Given the timescale for the Public Inquiry, the Council is not able to formally submit additional evidence about the removal of the Metropolitan Police’s objection. However, the Committee’s decision and its substantive reason stands, and it will be in front of the Inspector so that she can see what stance the Council would have taken at the inquiry had the Metropolitan Police felt able to maintain its objection."
The inquiry itself will take place at –
Tower Hamlets Professional Development Centre
229 Bethnal Green Road
London
E2 6AB
Posted on Friday 7th February 2025