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A new report from the Parliamentary Restoration and Renewal Client Board calls for a seven-year “phase one” programme of early and enabling works to halt the cash drain on patch repairs and ageing systems, while kicking the hardest political decision on delivery to 2030.
Under the plan, parliament would crack on with preparatory works now and narrow the long-running debate down to just two remaining options for the main job.
One would see both chambers fully decant while the palace is stripped back and rebuilt in one go. That route is the cheapest and safest, but would still take up to 24 years and cost close to £12bn.
New public underground access to Parliament forms part of the restoration and renewal plan
The alternative is the so-called enhanced maintenance and improvement option, which keeps parliament operating in the building while work is carried out in up to 14 phases.
That approach would force MPs and Peers to shuttle between chambers and displace the House of Lords to the QEII Centre for up to 13 years. It would critically stretch the programme to as long as 61 years and drive costs towards £39bn.
Pros and cons of two options
| Category | Full decant | Enhanced maintenance & improvement (EMI+) | Comparison |
| Total cost | £8.4–11.5bn | £11.8–18.7bn | EMI+ significantly more expensive overall |
| Total duration | 19–24 years | 38–61 years | EMI+ takes roughly double or more |
| House of Commons chamber decant | 8–10 years | Up to 2 years in the Lords chamber | Longer Commons relocation under full decant |
| House of Lords chamber decant | 12–15 years | 8–13 years in the QEII | Decant periods broadly similar |
| Parliamentary business | Delivered with some reduced provision, may require changes to ways of working | Delivered with some reduced provision which may require changes to ways of working | Operational impact similar |
| Health, safety and fire risk | Lowest level of risk | Highest level of risk of the options | Full decant safer |
| Security risk | Lowest level of risk in the Palace | Highest level of risk in the Palace | Full decant offers strongest security |
The Client Board warns that further delay will cost taxpayers. Each year of indecision is estimated to cost around £70m in wasted option development and reactive maintenance, with construction inflation piling hundreds of millions more onto the eventual bill.
If ministers and parliamentarians sign off the phase one plan, procurement for multiple strategic partners covering programme management, technical consultancy and delivery would start later this year, with appointments expected in 2027.
Those partners would lead the early works and firm up designs, costs and programmes for both delivery options ahead of a final decision by both Houses before the end of the decade.
Phase one would include major enabling jobs such as a temporary Thames jetty and cofferdam to shift materials by river, underground construction to free up space for services, early masonry repairs and courtyard restoration.
Overlapping services located in the Palace basement
It would also see temporary power, water and utilities installed to allow life-expired systems to be safely switched off later, alongside significant remodelling work at the QEII to support decant and resilience needs.