Today, Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, spoke in the Second Reading of the Holocaust Memorial Bill.
The Bill seeks to amend the 1900 London County Council Act, which preserves the park for the public, and repeal the prohibition of building within the park, which would then permit the building of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
We are fortunate in our country to have many Holocaust survivors who are willing to share their stories. Sadly, this living testimony will not be with us forever.
For this reason, Nickie welcomes the building of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. However, the design has come under heavy criticism on account of its scale and suitability for the area. This has caused concern for many residents living in the surrounding area.
As the local MP for the proposed site, Nickie spoke in support of the Save Victoria Tower Gardens campaign - a group of local people who care deeply about their community parks. They have worked with a variety of different groups, such as Historic England, the Thorney Island Society, the Buxton family, London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust and, most importantly, holocaust survivors, to make sure we get this project right. After consulting these interest groups, they raised several concerns with the project, which come back to one major issue - location.
Nickie said:
“For many, especially those who live in a crowded urban area such as Westminster, our neighbourhood parks and gardens are vital to the quality of life of Westminster residents. That is why, for me, this is the right memorial - wrong place.”
Nickie will continue to contribute to the Bill and raise the voices of local residents as the Bill progresses through Parliament.
Watch Nickie’s full speech here.
