PUBLIC OFFICES (SITE) BILL. (Hansard, 10 July 1947)

§ LORD HENDERSON

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be read a Second time. The Bill is very clearly set out, and I do not think there is any need for me to elaborate on it. Its primary purpose is to secure for His Majesty's Government, either by agreement or compulsorily, the site of the old Westminster Hospital opposite the Abbey. It is proposed to demolish the present buildings there, together with the old Stationery Office buildings on the adjoining site, and to develop the combined site as soon as possible. The Bill makes provision for the modification of the Westminster 456 Hospital Act, 1913, in respect of certain restrictions on building which were designed originally to protect the neighbouring Stationery Office buildings, now to be demolished. There is also a clause which exempts the site from the provisions of the London Building Acts, as the Crown is not bound by them and it is thought undesirable to create a precedent in this particular case. Finally, as the District Railway passes close to the boundary of the site, a clause has been inserted to provide statutory protection for the London Passenger Transport Board when the new building is erected.

Very careful thought has naturally been given to the best possible use which can be found for this site, with its many historical associations and its position, which is one of the most prominent in London. Before the war the present owner proposed to develop it for commercial offices, but I am sure there will be general agreement that it is in the national interest that the site should be developed in accordance with the recommendations of the County of London Plan, that Government offices should be concentrated as far as possible in the immediate neighbourhood of Whitehall and the Houses of Parliament. In the circumstances it is considered, and I think noble Lords will agree, that there is no more worthy use for this fine position than as the headquarters of our Colonial Empire. It is accordingly proposed to erect there a new Colonial Office, a building which, as I shall explain, is most urgently required. The pre-war headquarters of the Colonial Office in Downing Street have been occupied by them since 1875 and are now quite inadequate to accommodate a staff which have increased from 40 originally to a total now of 1.185. At present the staff are dispersed among six buildings in Central London, though it is hoped shortly to concentrate the majority of them in a group of leased offices in Great Smith Street. This, however, is only a temporary expedient and I think that noble Lords will agree that the only satisfactory solution is that work of such increasing importance as the administration of our Colonies should be centralized in one modern building as soon as possible.

The Ministry has been fortunate enough to secure the services of Mr. T. S. Tait as architect. Many of your Lordships will be familiar with his work, which 457 includes Adelaide House, the British Museum extension, and Lloyds Bank Head Office in the City. Mr. Tait is already closely acquainted with the possibilities and problems of this particular site, and thus a good deal of time will be saved in the preparation of plans for the new building. Noble Lords will be happy to know that the Minister of Works has undertaken to consult the Royal Fine Arts Commission at the outset and later on, when the plans have been more fully developed, both as regards the sketch plans and elevation. He is also very carefully examining the possibility of employing artists, sculptors and engravers, on both external and interior decoration, and in addition, of making use of schemes for certain rooms suggested by and representative of individual Colonies. I hope that I have said enough to justify the Bill. It will, as I have indicated, provide an opportunity to acquire an incomparable site at the very heart of the British Commonwealth, and to erect upon it an edifice that will at once be worthy of our Colonial Empire and of the noble companionship of its historic surroundings. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a Second time.