Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government & Anor

Facts

The Royal Mint Court Residents' Association ("RMCRA") represents the families and businesses occupying the 100 leasehold properties at St Mary Graces Court, built in 1987 for key workers and lying within the same freehold title as Royal Mint Court, a 2.10 hectare site immediately east of the Tower of London containing listed buildings and the ruins of a Cistercian abbey. The People's Republic of China acquired the site in 2018 and obtained diplomatic consent by Note Verbale dated 4 May 2018 under section 1 of the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, conditional on obtaining planning permission. An initial application was refused by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 10 February 2023. A fresh application made on 15 July 2024 was called in by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and following a public inquiry held between 11 and 19 February 2025 the Inspector reported on 10 June 2025. Planning permission and listed building consent were granted by Decision Letter dated 20 January 2026. RMCRA brought a claim for statutory review under section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and section 63 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, four grounds being considered by the Divisional Court on a rolled-up basis after permission on a further ground had been refused in April 2026.