was contended that this should be laid out as an extension of
the Victoria-tower-garden. The representatives of the Council,
while not [illegible but thought to be ‘not’] pledging it to any
such scheme undertook that a scheme should be presented for
the widening of Millbank-street and the embankment of the
river, and that the Council would carefully consider whether it
would not be possible to lay out the land between the street and
the river as a garden. The bill was rejected by a large majority.
It is to be feared, however, that, in the event of the Council not
proposing a scheme of its own, the syndicate’s scheme will be
revived.”
(Further Report of the County Council Improvements
Committee, 25th May and 15th June 1898).
83. Prompted by the activity of the private syndicate, London County Council decided to
bring forward its own scheme and instructed its Improvements Committee to prepare
their own scheme for the area:
“Thames-embankment extension at Westminster
The Council, on 29th March, 1898, passed the following
resolution – “That it be referred to the Improvements
Committee to prepare and bring up to the Council, at the
earliest date practicable a scheme for the embankment of the
Thames from the Victoria-tower-garden to Lambeth-bridge,
including the widening of Millbank-street, and the utilisation of
any surplus land which remains after the carrying out of the
improvement.”
(Further Report of the Improvements Committee, 25 th May and
15th June 1898)
84. On 15 June 1898, the Improvements Committee reported on initial proposals to the
Council. They assumed that the existing garden would be extended to Lambeth
Bridge. They estimated that the net cost of the scheme would be £642,000. They
commented that if, instead of laying out a garden, the land was built on, the cost
would only be £71,900. They noted that the difference in cost of £570,600 could not
be justified for four acres of land unless Parliament was willing to contribute:
“In pursuance of this reference we have carefully considered a
scheme… We also assumed for the purpose of the scheme that
all the houses and wharfs east of Millbank-street would be
removed, and that the existing garden to the south of the
Houses or Parliament would be extended to Lambeth-bridge. If
such a scheme were undertaken, Millbank-street being
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