Parliament revamp
Discussion
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp2pzqr84o
The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
borcy said:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp2pzqr84o
The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
The can has constantly been kicked down the road on this one. No Government has wanted to actually bite the bullet and make a decision.The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
Full decant and repair will "only" cost £16bn and take 24 years.
Build a new parliament and repair the existing building but turn it into a tourist attraction maybe.
clarkey said:
Build a new office building near the NEC and move parliament there. Revamp Westminster superficially and turn it into a tourist attraction. I think the time has come to move the capital out of London.
If they did that they’d probably insist on a VIP track being added to HS2 and a dedicated station at the replacement parliament. Probably still be cheaper than what’s being proposed though.alangla said:
If they did that they d probably insist on a VIP track being added to HS2 and a dedicated station at the replacement parliament. Probably still be cheaper than what s being proposed though.
It would be a good idea to build a dedicated station too. At the end of the day it's not a massive building, I'd be surprised if it needs to hold more than 2,000 people with MPs, staff, House of Lords, etc. It's just a medium sized office building with a couple of big conference rooms that can be built relatively cheaply in a couple of years. I just don't understand the logic of wasting billions on an old building that could be used to generate tourism income instead.I reckon you could build one for £1b. Add on a new station, security features and stuff and it might become £2b. Much cheaper than refurbishing Westminster and it would work much, much better.
Edited by clarkey on Thursday 5th February 17:51
Absolutely f
king absurd. Knock it down and build a replica - it isn’t even that old or special.
For MPs and Lords (if we need them) build a facility next to Old Oak Common - that’s the zenith of UK transport infrastructure isn’t it? No expenses allowed for trips into Mayfair for tea, train and tube only transfers to Heathrow and train stations.
king absurd. Knock it down and build a replica - it isn’t even that old or special. For MPs and Lords (if we need them) build a facility next to Old Oak Common - that’s the zenith of UK transport infrastructure isn’t it? No expenses allowed for trips into Mayfair for tea, train and tube only transfers to Heathrow and train stations.
borcy said:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp2pzqr84o
The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
61 years!The revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. At that cost is it worth moving elsewhere, might be the only chance to do it.
Should be finished before HS2 then….
Apart from the political difficulty of a govt actually committing to this sort of project and spending, there's also the tremendous organisational inertia and incompetence in the parliamentary structures that oversee these projects. A friend has recently escaped from that world having had their genuine expertise and judgement consistently ignored, questioned, or simply not recognised by self-satisfied, arrogant, entitled light-weights who've been appointed to these "the building's falling down" and "gosh, haven't we got a lot of antiques!" oversight committees so they can't get anywhere near committees that wield genuine influence.
The state of decay in the building is hard to exaggerate. Pipes leaking raw sewage. Wiring that's dangerous to approach.
The state of decay in the building is hard to exaggerate. Pipes leaking raw sewage. Wiring that's dangerous to approach.
abzmike said:
Absolutely fking absurd. Knock it down and build a replica - it isn t even that old or special.
For MPs and Lords (if we need them) build a facility next to Old Oak Common - that s the zenith of UK transport infrastructure isn t it? No expenses allowed for trips into Mayfair for tea, train and tube only transfers to Heathrow and train stations.
Re. "Not that old or special" bits of it date to the 11th century. king absurd. Knock it down and build a replica - it isn t even that old or special. For MPs and Lords (if we need them) build a facility next to Old Oak Common - that s the zenith of UK transport infrastructure isn t it? No expenses allowed for trips into Mayfair for tea, train and tube only transfers to Heathrow and train stations.
Move them to a new modern dedicated site outside of London, let the private sector pay to renovate the current location. Keep interesting bits open to public. Turn the rest into flats.
Might make them behave bit more like adults.
Scottish Parliament building is cool, well designed has all modern facilities you'd expect and in an amazing setting. It can be done . It's our bloody money they gonna waste!
Might make them behave bit more like adults.
Scottish Parliament building is cool, well designed has all modern facilities you'd expect and in an amazing setting. It can be done . It's our bloody money they gonna waste!
ATG said:
Re. "Not that old or special" bits of it date to the 11th century.
OK - keep the old bits… 5bn max - still absurd. Save 40Bn on restoring the rest. Honestly, as a nation we need to get a grip on these projects. 200Bn to build a railway to Manchester? 30Bm to lay a couple of miles of tarmac to land planes on - yes I know it’s more than that, and private money but you know that I mean… the national infrastructure is in desparate, desparate need of renewal - this is a prime example of why it is impossible. The numbers required to do anything are so vast.Build a complete new parliament with accommodation built in. Do it in somewhere central in the country but cheap to do so with good transport links.
Reduce the number of MP’s and lords. Bolt on 2 bed flats to the parliament building so that 2nd home allowances are no longer a thing and can be reused by the next sitting parliament.
Charge MP’s a refundable deposit which they lose if the flat isn’t left in a good state.
Security on the complex to protect MP’s but to also ensure they’re not whoring, bribing or dodgy dealing.
Reduce the number of MP’s and lords. Bolt on 2 bed flats to the parliament building so that 2nd home allowances are no longer a thing and can be reused by the next sitting parliament.
Charge MP’s a refundable deposit which they lose if the flat isn’t left in a good state.
Security on the complex to protect MP’s but to also ensure they’re not whoring, bribing or dodgy dealing.
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