The announcement of the Memorial’s winning design team is the latest significant stage in a process that began in September 2013. At a fundraising dinner for British charity the Holocaust Educational Trust, the then Prime Minister David Cameron announced the establishment of a “multi-faith, cross-party national commission” to decide upon a fitting memorial to the Holocaust in the UK. Feedback was sought from Holocaust survivors and their relatives; religious groups; Holocaust education charities; academics; and the wider public. On 27 January 2015 – International Holocaust Memorial Day – Mr Cameron announced that a new Holocaust memorial and learning centre would be built in the capital, standing as “a permanent statement of our British values.” The location of the new memorial – Victoria Tower Gardens, next to the Houses of Parliament – was revealed a year later. A budget of £50 million has been assigned to the project.
The plans for the memorial, however, are not without their controversies. Some have raised concerns about potential overlap between the new learning centre and the content of the Imperial War Museum’s Holocaust Exhibition. Opened in 2000, the Museum is itself redeveloping this exhibition, aiming to further combine the history of the Holocaust with the history of the Second World War within its galleries. The project is due for completion in 2020. Furthermore, MPs and local office workers have declared their intentions to protest the location of the memorial, saying it will “change the character” of Victoria Tower Gardens and take away valuable green space for those who work and live in the area. Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chairman of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, refuted these claims, stating, “This is meant to be a national asset, a national statement of values in a nationally significant place. It is perfectly legitimate for people who live locally to have a view on something that is going to be put into their amenity – but their view has got to be put alongside the views of many, many people right across the country.” It appears unlikely, therefore, that the location of the memorial and learning centre will be changed.
Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Bowman + Porter will now work to adapt their original design proposal to reflect the feedback given during the public consultation. The memorial and learning centre are due to be opened in 2021.
Design of the Memorial. Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad Architects