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A ruling on whether to approve Chinese application for a new substantial consulate in London has been delayed anew by the administration.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed had been due to rule on the proposal by 21 October, but the cut-off date has been extended to 10 December.

It is the second time the government has postponed a determination on the controversial site, whose placement has triggered concerns it could present an spying threat.

A ruling had initially been scheduled by 9 September after cabinet members took control of the operation from Tower Hamlets, the municipal authority, last year.

Protection Issues Raised

China bought the site of the proposed new embassy, at Royal Mint Court, adjacent to the Tower of London, for £255m in 2018. At 20,000 square metres, the proposed complex would be the biggest embassy in Europe assuming approval.

The outstanding determination on whether to approve the new embassy was previously under close scrutiny because of worries about the security implications of the plan, including the position, size and design of the structure.

The property is close to data transmission cables carrying communications to and from banking organizations in the City of London. Apprehensions have been raised that Chinese operatives could employ the site to tap into the lines and eavesdrop.

Latest Changes

More concerns have been brought up in the last several weeks about the character of the risk posed by Beijing, following the collapse of the case against two men alleged of spying for China.

The Crown Prosecution Service unexpectedly dropped charges against legislative research specialist Christopher Cash, 30, and academic Christopher Berry, 33, last month. Both men refute the allegations.

Previous Delays

The administration's initial postponement was requested by Reed's preceding minister Angela Rayner, after she inquired China to detail why some rooms within its planning documents had been obscured for "safety concerns".

Development advisors employed by the China consulate had responded that China "does not feel that, as a fundamental issue, it is required or fitting to provide detailed room arrangements".

Rayner had responded in writing to groups engaged with the review, including China, the Met police and a neighborhood group, to allow additional time to reply to the schemes and setting the deadline back to 21 October.

Current Situation

Reed, who took over the residential portfolio following Rayner's exit last month, has now requested extra time before a final decision needs to be made.

In a correspondence seen by media outlets, the accommodation ministry said extra time was necessary due to the "comprehensive character" of responses obtained to date.

It stated that it was incapable to establish a fresh cut-off date for fresh comments until it obtains pending responses from the Diplomatic Service and Interior Ministry.

Planned Amenities

The planned facility would incorporate offices, a extensive subterranean section, residences for 200 employees, and a recent underground connection to link the Embassy House to a independent facility on the consulate property.

Political Reactions

Beijing's application for the embassy was first refused by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over safety and security concerns.

It resubmitted an identical proposal to the authority in August 2024, one month after the administration changed.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK has earlier stated the new complex would enhance "mutually beneficial cooperation" between China and Britain.

In a fresh official communication published alongside Reed's correspondence explaining his causes for the newest deferral, a China diplomat said oppositions to the property were "either baseless or unjustified".

Alternative Opinions

The Conservatives said Government officials should throw out the proposal, and charged them of trying to "suppress the cautions about the dangers to country protection" created by the diplomatic property.

The Alternative Group also demanded the request to be prevented, urging the government to "resist China".

Diplomatic Affairs commentator Calum Miller said it would be "irrational" for cabinet members to permit the consulate construction to proceed, after cautions from the head of MI5 on Thursday about the risk of China intelligence gathering.

Intelligence Concerns

A previous senior consultant to the previous leader said MI5 and MI6 had alerted him China was "trying to build a monitoring hub beneath the embassy," when he was employed at Downing Street.

Speaking on a public affairs broadcast, the consultant said the organizations had told him that permitting the embassy to be constructed would be "an extremely bad idea".

In his regular presentation, the protection head said "Chinese state actors" constituted a state security danger to the UK "each day".

He mentioned that the UK needed to "protect itself firmly" against China, while also being able to "take advantage of the possibilities" from maintaining connections with Beijing.