Parliament - renovation & repair

OK, I know that this is a Daily Fail article, but there are some things that I find interesting - UK Parliament could be shut for GOOD unless MPs agree to move out during renovation | Daily Mail Online

Firstly, £3.5 billion - - really? I understand that this is a lot more involved than a rewire and a repaint, but that is one hell of a lot of dough. There is somewhere in the region of 1200 rooms, so at that price it works out about £3m per room!

The stonework looks to be in one hell of a mess - loads of erosion has taken place and the stone is in really bad shape. But, short of carving replica blocks to replace the knackered ones, what can they do? @Zigs - you are the best placed that I can think of who might know?

Also, if they do go putting in new, replica stone, does that not reduce the historical value/interest of the building?

 

That's just for the MP's Bar, FC. A lot of the external and internal stone work is being done by Stone Masons who are either replacing or repairing the carvings. They will use the excuse that the Parliament buildings, inside and out, are Iconic and showpieces for the World so only the very best materials must be used.....and it's nothing to do with the comfort and luxurious trappings for the MP's A major part of the work will be unseen as it involves the miles of pipes [water, sewage, gas, etc], electrical and data cables to be ripped out and replaced in the basements. There will also be improved flood prevention work for the future, more security resources and the like. So I believe the work is needed, but the bill is extremely hefty and no doubt the Media will be casting a eye on it, looking for corruption, OTT luxury facilities, while the work is being carried out
What is, to me, unsettling is that they can find £3.5 Billion [or more if the Budget is overrun which is usually the case] without much difficulty while they will argue over every penny spent on the NHS, Railways, Roads, while cutting back on all services and, of course, denying that they are doing so.

 

They could always get the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company to build them one made of glass. We had a fascinating walk around the place. It's their Head Office.

 

Staggering amount! I'd only just calmed down after the last time I saw this on the news too...

Build a new set of offices for a fraction of the cost and hand the palace to national trust

 

You're asking our MP's to be transparent...........that won't work

 

All Iconic cultural symbols, Ziggy

 

At the Old Hall where the Global Advertising Company resided and who I worked for, we have an Artist come in to do portraits of the Hall and it's rooms......and a very good job he did too. He also left some very realistic paintings of Spiders in different rooms as his signature!!