§ Sir P. Agnewasked the Minister of Works whether he will make a statement on the plan to acquire Carlton House Terrace for building a new Foreign Office.
§ Lord John HopeYes. The scheme, first approved in 1946, provided for the building of a new Foreign Office on the site of Carlton House Terrace, behind the existing Mall facade. In view of the difficulty of meeting the up-to-date requirements of the Foreign Office in a building on this site the Government have now decided that as soon as it is feasible to do so the houses in Carlton House Terrace, which my Ministry holds on lease, shall be released to the Crown Estate Commissioners. I understand that the Commissioners intend to prepare a scheme for the internal conversion of the houses, while preserving the existing Nash facades both to the Mall and on the north side.