The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal project writes:<\/p>\n
In its report the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster has concluded that the Palace of Westminster \u2018faces an impending crisis which we cannot responsibly ignore\u2019. 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.<\/p>\n
The Joint Committee of MPs and Peers has also concluded that the current \u2018patch and mend\u2019 approach to maintaining the Palace is no longer sustainable and recommends that a major programme of works is now essential and that Parliament must enable the next stage of urgent and vital preparatory work to go ahead so as to minimise costs and reduce further risks.<\/p>\n
The Joint Committee, co-chaired by Chris Grayling MP and Baroness Stowell of Beeston, was appointed in July 2015 to consider a range of options and make recommendations on the best way to protect the Palace and to maintain it as a working parliament.<\/p>\n
The Palace has not had a major renovation of its mechanical and electrical services since it was built in the mid-1800s, leading to a substantial and growing risk that a catastrophic event such as a major fire, or incremental system failures, will lead to the building being uninhabitable.<\/p>\n
The Committee concluded that the lowest risk, most cost-effective and quickest option to undertake these essential works would be for all MPs, Peers, and staff to move out of the Palace temporarily in one single phase. However, the Committee recommends that, first, Parliament should establish a Delivery Authority to develop a full business case and prepare a final budget for Parliament\u2019s approval. The next, detailed preparatory stage will ensure that taxpayers, as well as Government and Parliament, can be confident the final proposal is the most cost-effective and will be deliverable before the final go-ahead is given for the works to start during the 2020 Parliament.<\/p>\n
The Committee\u2019s main conclusions and recommendations are:<\/p>\n
Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Co-Chairman of the Committee, said, \u2018We must not spend a penny more than is absolutely necessary, but this is now an increasingly urgent problem.\u00a0We can\u2019t put off the decision to act any longer if we are to protect one of the most important and iconic parts of our national heritage. The next phase of work, to be conducted by the Delivery Authority, will be vital in ensuring that Parliament has a fully costed and tested plan for conducting the work, before being asked to give the final go-ahead for the works to start.\u2019<\/p>\n
Committee member and Committee spokesperson, Chris Bryant MP, said: \u2018All the evidence points to having to move out of the whole Palace simultaneously. That is the lowest risk, most cost-effective and quickest option.\u2019<\/p>\n
read more….<\/a><\/p>\n For information on\u00a0the PM\u2019s backing see UK Construction Week news<\/a>\u00a0and view the report<\/a>\u00a0on the UK Parliament website.<\/p>\n Explore the palace<\/a> and the planned works<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster report highlighting the urgency of major works to the building \u2013 to avoid major issues and ensure that Parliament can keep being a working building \u2013seems to have secured the Prime Minister\u2019s … Continue reading