Houses of Parliament could close for five years under £3bn plan to repair …

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By
Rob Preece


PUBLISHED:

11:57 GMT, 26 August 2012


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UPDATED:

13:10 GMT, 26 August 2012

The Houses of Parliament could be closed for up to five years while essential repairs are carried out.

MPs and peers would be forced to move for the first time since World War Two under plans for a £3bn refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster.

Under one option, politicians would meet in a replica chamber beneath Big Ben while work is undertaken to remove asbestos from the Grade I-listed building and replace plumbing and electrics.

Disrepair: MPs and peers would be evacuated from the Palace of Westminster for the first time since World War Two

Other moves being considered include leaving the palace for good, selling it off and building a new parliament – possibly even moving out of London.

Politicans could also remain in the building, with repairs being carried out during the summer, but Commons insiders fear such work would be more costly and take years to complete.

The decision will be taken by a group of officials, MPs and peers, who are understood to favour a temporary relocation while the work is carried out.

Refurbishment could begin in 2015, and the project is likely to be huge.

The palace covers eight acres, and has 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and three miles of corridors, spread over four floors.

Moving house? MPs would be confined to temporary accommodation if the Palace of Westminster is closed for refurbishment

MPs would be confined to temporary accommodation, and hundreds of parliamentary staff would be forced to relocate to nearby buildings.

The Queen Elizabeth II conference centre and the Church of England’s headquarters near Westminster Abbey, Church House, are potential venues.

‘The Victorian facilities are creaking and at the moment we are just trying to hold the palace together,’ a Commons source told the Sunday Times.

‘We either move out or spend £10billion over 20 to 30 years on trying to do the work during the summer recesses.

Alternative arrangements: Politicians would meet in a replica chamber beneath Big Ben under one plan being considered by officials, MPs and peers

‘We need to shut the building, let the builders in, pull the innards out and gut it.’

The ground floor of the palace is occupied by offices, dining rooms and bars.

The first floor houses the the debating chambers, the lobbies and the libraries.

The top two floors are used as committee rooms and offices.

Problems are understood to have included falling masonry and leaking toilets, which have caused unsightly stains to appear on the ceiling of Home Secretary Theresa May’s Commons office.

Some MPs have reported seeing mice.

A plan is expected to be put before the Commons commission, which is chaired by the Speaker John Bercow, and a parallel Lords committee by the beginning of 2013.

Scrutiny: The plans are expected to be put before a panel chaired by Commons Speaker John Bercow

The palace was hit by German bombs on 14 separate occasions during the war, with the worst raid happening on the night of May 10, 1941, when three people were killed.

An incendiary bomb hit the chamber of the House of Commons and set it on fire, while another device set the roof of Westminster Hall alight.

Firefighters were able to save the hall, but the Commons chamber was completely destroyed.

After the attack, MPs met in the Lords chamber while the Lords sat in the Queen’s Robing Room, which was converted into a makeshift debating space.

A Commons spokesman said: ‘Officials are undertaking an initial study into options for the long-term upkeep of the palace.

‘It is anticipated that the results of the initial study will be considered by the House of Commons commission and the House of Lords Committee by the end of the year.’

Historic: The House of Commons chamber was completely destroyed by an incendiary bomb in 1941

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