What next for restoration and renewal of parliament?

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The Palace of Westminster is one of the world’s most recognisable historic buildings and the home of the UK parliament. Yet much of the estate is in urgent need of repair. While debates over how to approach the Restoration and Renewal programme have continued for over a decade, other countries have already moved ahead: Austria has completed the renovation of its parliament, and Canada’s is well underway.

In February, the Restoration and Renewal Client Board set out updated costings and recommended two possible paths forward – full decant or enhanced maintenance and improvement. Parliament is expected to debate the Client Board’s report in the coming weeks.  

With the stage now set for parliament to embark on a project that will not only safeguard this historic landmark but also reimagine it for future generations, this IfG event explored lessons from other international projects, and discuss what the Restoration and Renewal programme could mean for parliament, industry and the wider public.

To discuss all this and more, the IfG brought together an expert panel, including:  

• Jennifer Garrett, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Parliamentary Precinct Branch of the Government of Canada (joining remotely)
• Dr Alexandra Meakin, Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Leeds
• Jack Pringle, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
• Nick Smith MP, Chair of the House of Commons Administration Committee

The event was chaired by Dr Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

We would like to thank RIBA for kindly supporting this event.

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