UK Holocaust Memorial by Adjaye Associates Gets Planning Permission

 “Outstanding piece of civic design in empathy with its context,”

said Housing Minister Christopher Pincher regarding the scheme of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center by Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad.

UK’s first Holocaust Memorial in Westminister designed by a team of Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad gets planning permission from housing minister Christopher Pincher.

The permission is a result of a series of redesigns, protests, and a public inquiry held last year to take a decision regarding the controversial design for the Holocaust Memorial in the Victoria Tower Gardens. 

After Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad won a competition for the Holocaust Memorial in 2017, there were several debates over their design, mainly because of the memorial’s location next to the Houses of Parliament—the scheme was completely rejected by the Westminister Council. 

After an inquiry at which David Adjaye leader and founder of Adjaye Associates was among the witnesses, the planning inspector’s report was submitted to the housing minister. 

Housing minister Pincher admitted that the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center scheme did not align with the local development plan. According to what he said, it would harm the heritage site including buildings and trees—however, he found objective reasons to approve the design. 

Pincher said the expected harm was outweighed by a “series of very significant public benefits”, including the mere idea of establishing a national memorial to honor the victims of the Holocaust and genocide. Moreover, he said that the controversial location sends a “powerful message”.

He concluded that “the important public benefits of the scheme, taken together, are sufficient to demonstrably outweigh the identified harm that the proposals have been found to cause”.

Construction of the Holocaust Memorial will start later this year and it will resemble the national focal point to commemorate the souls of 6 million victims of the Holocaust. In a likely manner, the co-located learning center will focus on educating visitors on subsequent genocides. This educating process includes historic photographs, film footage, and audio recordings to provide an integrated and rich learning experience to the younger generations. 

“We have a duty to ensure that the history of the Holocaust is never forgotten and never repeated – the Memorial and Learning Centre will allow everyone to reflect, remember and honor those who suffered and died and to educate future generations in anti-Semitism, where, if unchecked, antisemitism and hatred can lead.” said the Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP.

Expected to open in 2024, the entry of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center will be free. The operation cost will be supported by funds raised from donations and charitable contributions.

The application for the proposed landmark was submitted by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, which is an organization sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Governments. Ed Balls and Lord Pickles, Co-Chairs of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, said:

“This is an important milestone, bringing closer the day when we have a national Memorial which properly commemorates the 6 million Jewish men, women and children and all others murdered by the Nazis.”

“Our planning system is rigorous, fair and transparent, and enables all points of view to be expressed. I’m grateful to the Minister and the Planning Inspector for giving such careful thought to our plans and to the objections raised. Our responsibility now is to move as quickly as we can towards completion, creating a Memorial that the whole nation can be proud of, and one which ensures that essential lessons are never forgotten.”

Adjaye Associates is an award-winning architecture firm with studios in Accra, London, and New York. The firm approaches architecture that enhances the daily life of its users and meets the different needs of communities.