Legal dispute
This project aims to raise funds to resolve a claim, or other type of dispute.
Old appeal is closed. Please see David v Goliath 2
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
This was our 2022 appeal for help. We won, however in 2024, the Chinese Government resubmitted the same application. We need your help again
Click here for our new appeal.
In 2022, we appealed for your help and won. However, in 2024, the Chinese Government submitted the same planning application that was refused by the local council. Now the British Government have called it in and will decide whether to grant permission for the Chinese Embassy.
We urgently need your help again because our residents' association Chairman Dave Lake will be giving evidence at the hearing and does not have a Barrister to represent our little community against the mighty Chinese Government who are deploying big lawyers.
2022 APPEAL:
As seen on CNN News, Daily Mail, ITV and Sunday Times
Pensioner's home secretly sold: Now a Human Shield to protect Chinese Embassy!
- British pensioners and children have secretly become a Human Shield that would protect Chinese officials in the event of a terror attack.
- The Chinese Government has been given the same powers over British families as Queen Elizabeth II had because the Crown Estate sold our homes without telling anyone.
- Please help us get professional advice so the freehold of our homes goes back to The King, our Housing Association or us.
ABOVE: Dave Lake, Chairman of the Residents Association standing-up to China.
Help save British families from being ruled by China.
We are the Residents Association Committee that represents families who live in the 100 affordable homes at Royal Mint Court. These are leasehold, shared-ownership apartments, close to Tower Hill in London's East End.
In the 1980s, HM Queen Elizabeth II approved the building of the homes as social housing on the freehold land. The land was owned by The Crown since it was seized by King Henry VIII in 1538. The homes were bought by key workers under an agreement with The Queen. This made Her Majesty our Superior Landlord. That made us feel rather honoured, and safe.
ABOVE: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meeting children at the official opening of our homes and small business units at St Mary Graces Court in 1989.
Then, in 2018, we suddenly discovered the Chinese Government had become our Superior Landlord. Moreover, they planned to build a huge fortress Embassy on the same land as our homes.
ABOVE: An image from Google shows our homes in blue. The new Embassy fortress will be everything above the red line. You can see how close we will be. The public will be barred from entering the historic site and gardens inside.
Local Town Planners wanted to approve the plan. Residents and Historic Royal Palaces did not. On 1 December 2022, Our local councillors backed residents and rejected the application. The Chinese Government are expected to appeal.
Why have British Ministers abandoned us?
Since 2018, we've asked Government Ministers to help us in talks with the Chinese Government because we are worried. Amazingly, they won't even discuss our situation. We don't know why the Crown Estate sold the freehold and our homes without telling anyone.
- READ THE LETTERS: Click here to read a 2018 letter from a Minister
- and a 2019 letter from the Housing Minister.
- SEE Wikipedia to learn how the Royal site was secretly sold for just £51m.
BELOW: The plan of Royal Mint Court included in the sale documents published by the Crown Estate. The 100 leasehold homes are part of the freehold but were not included inside the red line of property being sold.
BELOW: There was no mention of our families in the documents but one family was was mentioned.
Giving the Chinese power over British citizens is wrong:
- The UK Government sold us to China. Now they are leaving citizens to negotiate sensitive political matters with China - a global super power. This sets a worrying precedent.
- If our 100 leasehold homes can be sold to a foreign super power without any questions or protection from His Majesty's Government, then so can others.
- Leasehold home ownership laws in England enslave British people and create big problems like ours. The law must change as it did in Scotland.
Why is the UK government tolerating this?
We have been very polite in all meetings with UK politicians and Chinese officials. It just feels like no one cares even after the Chinese Consulate incident:
What solution would we like?
We are respectfully asking the Chinese Government to sell our homes and freehold back to The Crown, our Housing Association or council. Failing this, sell it to our leaseholders. We never asked for a Chinese Embassy to be built here. We were never even told that Royal Mint Court freehold was up for sale for the first time in 470 years!
We've asked King Charles III to protect us
We have written a letter to The King asking him and his government to help protect us. After all, we are British citizens living in the UK, so it's fair to expect the protection of The Crown.
What will we do with money you give us?
The money we have raised so far is not enough because professional help can cost over £1,000 a day. Money you give will pay for professionals to help us negotiate a fair settlement with the Chinese Government.
Why was it important to have our Agreement with Queen Elizabeth II?
The Lease Agreement contains several clauses that give the Superior Landlord powers over our residents. For example, the landlord and their agents can prohibit us from placing anything in the window that can be seen and they don't like. This contract was reasonable when Queen Elizabeth II was our Superior Landlord because she was our Sovereign and we are UK citizens living on British soil.
Thank you for reading this very long story.
This project successfully funded on 26th January 2023