§ Dr. Michael Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to acquire the sites in London to be made available to the Russians for new embassy premises; and on what basis the titles of the sites will be held.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweTwo sites in London are to be made available to the Government of the USSR for new embassy premises, 1–7 Kensington Palace Gardens and 245 Warwick Road. The former will remain part of the Crown Estate but we have recently completed arrangements with the Crown Estate Commissioners under which in due course I, as a corporation sole, will take a lease of the site from the commissioners. As for 245 Warwick Road, I took a conditional transfer of the freehold title to this site from the Secretary of State for Defence on 18 March 1985 and it is proposed that this transfer will be made absolute in the near future. In due course 99-year leases of the sites will be granted by me to the Government of the USSR.
The sites will be acquired on the basis of powers granted under section 2 of the Commissioners of Works Act 1852 and section 122 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has signified her consent to my exercise of these powers to acquire the sites.