U.S. London embassy to move south of River Thames
ReutersLONDON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in London is setto move across the River Thames from its historic Mayfair homeafter the U.S. State Department agreed to buy a development siteon the city's south bank, the embassy said on Thursday.
In a statement, the embassy said it had signed a conditionalagreement with privately owned Irish property developerBallymore to acquire the site in the Nine Elms area ofWandsworth.
"We looked at all our options, including renovation of ourcurrent building on Grosvenor Square," Ambassador Robert Tuttlesaid.
"In the end, we realised that the goal of a modern, secureand environmentally sustainable embassy could best be met byconstructing a new facility."
The United States has been associated with Grosvenor Squaresince the late eighteenth century when John Adams, the firstUnited States Minister to the Court of St. James's and futureU.S. President, lived in a house there.
The embassy did not give a time frame for its proposed moveand said its agreement with Ballymore depended on U.S.congressional approval and local planning consent. (Reporting by William Kemble-Diaz; Editing by Quentin Bryar) (See www.reutersrealestate.com for the global service for realestate professionals from Reuters).