MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Independent Options Appraisal (IOA) report, the British parliament building needed crucial repairs to avoid irreversible damage.
The cheapest option foresaw 3.5 billion pounds ($5.5 billion) in expenses and would take about six years to complete, if the building were vacated by the parliamentarians for the duration of the work, according to the research.
However, if members of parliament and peers insist on staying in the building during the reconstruction, the work could take approximately 32 years and cost 5.7 billion pounds ($9 billion). In reality, the expenses are likely to surpass this figure and amount to $11.2 billion.
A glimpse into the state bedchamber at Westminster Palace c1490, early Henry VII. Burned 1834. (Work in progress…) pic.twitter.com/7K27oC3pSO
— Jonathan Foyle (@JonathanFoyle) May 15, 2015
The third option stipulated a "partial move out," when first the Commons, then the Lords, moved in turn to temporary accommodation off-site. This approach would cost from 3.9 ($6.2 billion) to 4.4 billion pounds ($6.99 billion) and last for 11 years.
Westminster Palace London by Mika Lukkinen pic.twitter.com/0Sxa7JUGPA
— Sophii Jacob (@Sophii_Jacob) April 28, 2015
UK lawmakers are now due to form a joint committee to decide on the best solution to the issue.
The Palace of Westminster was included on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1987. Its present-day building was constructed after the Great Fire of 1834.
