The Diplomat
The deputies of the Popular Parliamentary Group in Congress Pablo Hispán and Carlos Floriano have presented a question to the Government in which they try to know if it has acquired the Embassy property in London.
If so, the deputies want to know what the final price to be paid is and whether it is a definitive acquisition or for a certain period.
The PP’s questions are related to the information made public in October 2021 and reported by The Diplomat, in the sense that the Government planned to spend around 93 million euros to buy the current headquarters of the Spanish Embassy in the United Kingdom.
The Council of Ministers had authorized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on October 5 of that year, to modify its spending limits against future years to proceed with the purchase of the building that houses our diplomatic representation in London.
After this authorization, in the draft General State Budget for 2022, sent to the Congress of Deputies, an item of 39 million euros was included, an amount that would only cover part of the purchase. The remaining 54 million euros will be allocated in future Budget projects.
The property, which includes the Embassy and the ambassador’s residence, is currently subject to a lease contract with the British company Grosvenor Estate, which was signed in June 1928 for a period of 98 years and 9 months, so the lease would expire March 25, 2027. It is located in a Victorian mansion, at number 39 Chesham Place, in the Belgravia neighborhood, one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the British capital.
Faced with the risk of being without an adequate Embassy in the United Kingdom, the Government decided to opt for the acquisition of the building, which was built in the years 1840-50 and has architectural value.
The headquarters of the Spanish Embassy is owned by Grosvenor Group, the real estate agency of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, which has more than 1,500 properties in 60 countries, including Spain. In London, the group owns more than 90% of the land in the exclusive neighborhoods of Mayfair and Belgravia.
