Some of Britain’s leading scientific societies say they may be forced to leave their central London buildings because the government has imposed rent increases of more than 3,000% in recent years.
Last week, the Geological Society and the Linnean Society announced that they had partnered with the Society of Antiquaries in a campaign to try to prevent the government from prizing them out of their premises at Burlington House, on Piccadilly, where they have been since 1854 .
“In 2012 our annual rent was £ 4,000,” said Sandra Knapp, president of the Linnean Society. Last year it had risen to £ 130,000 – that’s up over 3,000%. If the increase continues at this rate, we will have to move. “
The Linnean Society is the world’s oldest association dedicated to natural history. Its construction in 1858 set the stage for the first reading of articles by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace outlining the theory of evolution through natural selection – a series of ideas that have since guided our understanding of the natural world and humanity’s place in the world. .
The scientific societies – which also include the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry – are housed in three buildings around the main courtyard of Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy of Arts (which is unaffected by the current rental row).
“These buildings were purpose-built for the use of the scientific societies by Queen Victoria’s government to create a cultural center in central London,” adds Knapp. “Now that intellectual center is under threat.”
The warning was supported by Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and a fellow of the Geological Society, which has a world-renowned library and map collection and regular climate discussions. change and the future of the fossil fuel industries.
“By praising these scientific societies at home, the Boris Johnson government does not appear to be respecting Britain’s extraordinary scientific heritage, even as it tries to project an image of Britain after Brexit,” said Ward. “But instead, it acts like it’s just another ruthless landlord trying to maximize rental income from a central London location.”
Founded in 1707, the Society of Antiquaries of London is also home to a range of treasures. Among the 40,000 objects and 130,000 rare books it has collected are three of the earliest copies of the Magna Carta, a series of Neolithic stone tools from Stonehenge, Tudor portraits and other precious historical items.
However, the society has warned that if forced by the government to relocate, it will have to pay significant sums to ensure the safe transfer of its fragile collection – and that the cost of that move could force it to estimate some of its treasures. to pay the moving costs. The association’s president, Paul Drury, has said the prospect fills him with “absolute horror”.
The large rents in Burlington House are the result of a change in government accounting rules in 2014, when it mandated that the building be treated as an investment property. Shortly after this decision was made, the market value of West End real estate – on the basis of which rents are calculated – soared. As a result, annual rents have grown rapidly from a few thousand pounds a year to hundreds of thousands.
The government, for its part, argues that Burlington associations are still paying rents well below market rates for central London. However, it has also stressed that it is sympathetic to their position and has claimed that the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government is now exploring solutions that can still bring value to the taxpayer while helping societies stay in Burlington House.
However, Knapp said the associations had seen little sign of such activity. “We need the ministry, our landlords, to actually sit down with us and come up with an affordable and sustainable solution,” she said.
This point was backed by Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who leads a cross-party group of MPs supporting the Burlington House campaign. The ministry urgently needs to conclude a long-term agreement for the societies or it risks losing them for good, he warned last week.
The associations at Burlington House are an asset to the nation. Together, their expertise and networks support our climate efforts and major engineering projects that are essential to better rebuild, ”he said.
“They house irreplaceable artifacts of great scientific and historical importance and are responsible for inspiring the next generation of scientists.”
Knapp added that the crucial point was that all of these societies play a vital role in promoting science – from natural history to geology and from chemistry to astronomy – in schools and in society.
“Our central London co-location is a real asset,” she said, “and also an indication that this country is taking its science very seriously and recognizing that it is something that Britain is proud to support.”