Overview
- The plan envisioned a two-storey suite beneath the No 10 garden that could host 200 people and serve as a secure refuge in a terrorist attack.
- An underground service road and a separate entrance for staff and visitors were proposed to keep deliveries and waste away from the No 10 front door.
- Extensions to Nos 11 and 12 and to 70 Whitehall included glass-fronted, solar-screened, blast-resistant glazing with new café, breakout and recreation spaces.
- Officials described the estate as at “breaking point” due to failing power, sewers and IT, and the scheme required vacating the complex for two years with PFI payments peaking at £63 million in 2006/07.
- The files offer no definitive reason the project was dropped, with reporting citing cost concerns and reported resistance to moving out of No 10, while security passages are redacted and the Cabinet Office says fixes have since been done piecemeal.