Victoria Tower Fabric Safety Project - Market Engagement Update

The Palace of Westminster (PoW), which includes Victoria Tower, is an internationally important heritage asset acknowledged in its Grade I listing designation, and its inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church. Victoria Tower is 325 ft tall and is sited above Sovereign's Gate at the south-west end of the Palace site. The Tower was originally designed as a royal entrance and a repository for the records of Parliament, and is currently home to the Parliamentary Archives, although these are in the process of being moved elsewhere. Significant repairs were last undertaken to Victoria Tower in the early 1990s. The building fabric has deteriorated in the intervening period, and it is now necessary to undertake repairs to the external envelope of Victoria Tower, via a full-height scaffold. Parliament is exercising their duty of care to prevent future deterioration of the building fabric as custodians of this Grade I Listed asset, and to maintain a safe and secure environment in and around the Palace of Westminster.