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A decision on whether to authorize China's request for a fresh substantial consulate in London has been deferred again by the government.

Housing Minister Steve Reed had been due to rule on the application by 21 October, but the time limit has been moved forward to 10 December.

It is the second time the administration has deferred a determination on the controversial site, whose placement has triggered worries it could present an espionage risk.

A determination had first been expected by 9 September after ministers took control of the procedure from Tower Hamlets, the municipal authority, last year.

Safety Worries Highlighted

China acquired the property of the planned new embassy, at Royal Mint Court, adjacent to the Tower of London, for £255m in 2018. At 20,000 square metres, the suggested development would be the most substantial embassy in Europe if it goes ahead.

The pending decision on whether to sanction the fresh embassy was previously under intense examination because of concerns about the safety consequences of the plan, including the placement, dimensions and architecture of the facility.

The site is adjacent to optical fiber lines carrying transmissions to and from banking organizations in the City of London. Concerns have been highlighted that Beijing agents could use the location to intercept the connections and eavesdrop.

Latest Changes

Additional inquiries have been brought up in the past few weeks about the character of the risk created by Beijing, following the collapse of the legal proceeding against two men charged of espionage for China.

The National Prosecution Authority surprisingly discontinued prosecutions against parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash, 30, and university researcher Christopher Berry, 33, last month. Both men refute the accusations.

Previous Delays

The government's first delay was requested by Reed's predecessor Angela Rayner, after she requested China to detail why particular spaces within its planning documents had been blanked out for "protection issues".

Planning consultants working for the China consulate had replied that China "does not consider that, as a basic concept, it is necessary or appropriate to furnish detailed room arrangements".

Rayner had sent correspondence to groups involved in the review, including China, the Met police and a local residents' association, to allow additional time to answer to the plans and placing the time limit forward to 21 October.

Current Situation

Reed, who took over the housing role following Rayner's resignation last month, has now sought extra time before a final decision requires completion.

In a letter reviewed by media outlets, the residential authority said additional time was needed due to the "comprehensive character" of replies obtained to date.

It mentioned that it was not able to determine another time limit for new responses until it obtains outstanding replies from the International Relations Department and Home Office.

Proposed Facilities

The suggested development would contain offices, a large basement area, accommodation for 200 employees, and a recent underground connection to connect the Embassy House to a distinct structure on the consulate property.

Official Statements

Beijing's request for the embassy was originally denied by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over security and protection worries.

It submitted again an equivalent proposal to the municipal government in August 2024, one month after Labour came to power.

The Beijing Diplomatic Mission in the UK has previously said the fresh facility would improve "mutually beneficial cooperation" between China and Britain.

In a new diplomatic note published together with Reed's document explaining his causes for the latest delay, a Chinese official said disapprovals to the location were "either unsubstantiated or unreasonable".

Alternative Opinions

The Political Rivals said Government officials should dismiss the application, and accused them of trying to "silence the alerts about the risks to country protection" posed by the diplomatic property.

The Alternative Group also requested the proposal to be prevented, encouraging the authorities to "confront China".

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said it would be "crazy" for cabinet members to permit the embassy development to go ahead, after alerts from the director of MI5 on Thursday about the danger of China intelligence gathering.

Protection Apprehensions

A ex-top counselor to Boris Johnson said MI5 and MI6 had warned him China was "trying to build a monitoring hub below the embassy," when he was employed at Downing Street.

Remarks made on a political podcast, the advisor said the services had told him that authorizing the embassy to be constructed would be "a highly unwise choice".

In his regular presentation, the protection head said "Chinese state actors" represented a state security danger to the UK "daily".

He mentioned that the UK needed to "guard itself strongly" against China, while also being able to "capitalize on the chances" from sustaining ties with Beijing.