New London skyscraper approved
It'll be as tall as The Shard and situated between the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater
A new London skyscraper which will be the joint-tallest building in Western Europe has been approved.
Plans to knock down the Aviva Building at One Undershaft and erect a 74-storey tower in its place was green-lit by the City of London Corporation this morning, paving the way for a structure which once complete will be as big as The Shard.
The proposal by Aroland Holdings was originally presented to the Corporation’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee in July though was deferred to allow for amends to the design.
These primarily revolved around its expected encroaching on St Helen’s Square, a public space at the foot of the building.
Lloyd’s of London Chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown was among those to air his opposition publicly, leading to an updated proposal intended to assuage the insurance industry’s concerns.
Among the changes made is moving the southern façade further north and combining the public entrances into a raised lobby in an effort to retain more of the square.
The amended scheme also includes a new 20-metre public screen facing the square displaying public information and showcasing events such as sports games.
The skyscraper will be primarily office space, though there will be an area for the London Museum, a publicly accessible viewing platform, a garden podium at level 11 and drink and food spots, among other public benefits.
Opposition has continued in some quarters against the proposal, including from Historic England and Tower Hamlets Council over concerns such as its impact on the Tower of London.
The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) which owns Fitzwilliam House and Stone Real Estate, acting on behalf of the Baltic Exchange Holdings which owns the Baltic Exchange, also submitted representations opposing the updated plans referencing potential issues including the impacts on light and additional security measures due to the digital screen.
Prior to the meeting several additional representations of support were filed, including from the local Lime Street ward members. Lloyd’s, which owns a nearby building, also withdrew its previous objection.
Questions from members primarily revolved around the proposed ‘classroom in the sky’, to be run by the London Museum, and the reduced impact on St Helen’s Square, which will still lose space as a result of the scheme.
Deputy Marianne Fredericks asked for an idea as to how many classes will go through the educational space daily and whether its remit could be expanded to include those beyond school age.
Sharon Ament, Director at the London Museum, said there are plans for it to be put to a range of uses, similar to the site in Smithfield. These may include events for adults as well as young people, though they are aiming for 300 pupils every day.
On the value of St Helen’s Square, Deputy Natasha Lloyd-Owen described it as a ‘very rare, large space of public realm at ground level in the City’.
“We have spent endless applications putting forward the public benefit of tiny pocket parks. Our officers work incredibly hard to create and eke out tiny little spaces that we can call pocket parks, and this has some genuine scale.”
She added the reduction in space would be the equivalent of half the size of Manchester Cathedral. “So that’s not nothing, that’s a significant amount of loss.”
While not a reason for deferral, the design of One Undershaft has also been subject to public attention.
Its 11th floor podium has come under particular scrutiny, and has drawn comparisons with objects including a toilet seat and a plastic spoon.
Common Councillor William Upton said he continued to have issues with the scheme partly on this basis.
“I had expected a reconsideration not just of what happened at the lower level, of course that’s improved what happens there,” he told members, “but if you look at the ground floor levels of this building it has compromised our public realm far too much and I cannot support a building that is trying to do too much.”
Others were more positive about the scheme, in particular the proposed London Museum space and public gallery.
Deputy Shravan Joshi, Chair of the Sub-Committee, said: “My own feeling on this is we should be bold, we should allow our architects to be bold in their vision of what we deliver in the City. We don’t want it just to be a glass and steel sort of blank. I think it’s important that we do have features that are attractive, that do draw attention and do draw people up above the ground floor.”
Discussing the base level, he said ‘a lot of work has been done’ to improve the public realm and praised the efforts to retain more of St Helen’s Square. Members voted to agree the proposal, with 16 in-favour and seven against.
A Historic England spokesperson said they were ‘disappointed’ by the approval. “The proposed building will have a harmful impact on precious public space, as well as on the important listed buildings beside the development site and the Tower of London World Heritage Site”.
Pua Seck Guan from Aroland Holdings said: “Aroland Holdings is delighted that the Planning Committee has resolved to grant consent for our revised proposals at One Undershaft. As a key asset in the City of London and our wider property portfolio, our investment will provide significant economic and public benefits for the City and wider London.
“We are looking forward to working with Development Manager Stanhope, Eric Parry Architects, and the wider project team, we as progress the delivery of this new landmark destination for London and the UK.”