London - The sprawling and heavily fortified complex of the US embassy in central London is to be sold to a Qatar-based company, the US mission said in a statement Tuesday. The US embassy, in Grosvenor Square, the target of furious anti- war demonstrations over past decades, will be sold to Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company of Doha, Qatar.
A new embassy building is to be constructed in Nine Elms, south London, and is scheduled for completion by 2016 or 2017.
"With the signing of this contract the United States takes another step towards relocating to a new state-of-the-art embassy which will enhance the urban fabric of London and demonstrate exceptional American architecture," the statement said.
The new US embassy would provide a modern, open and secure American diplomatic facility in London. A decision in a design competition is due in early next year.
