One of the UK’s tallest skyscrapers has been approved by the City of London.
The 285m (935ft) glass tower at 55 Bishopsgate, close to the Gherkin, is set to be the third-largest skyscraper in the City of London.
Construction work on the £600m, 63 storey tower could begin as soon as 2024, with a proposed completion date of 2029.
On Friday, members of the City of London planning committee approved the scheme, despite formal objections from St Paul’s Cathedral that it could harm views of the historic landmark.
The plans will now go to Mayor Sadiq Khan to decide whether to step in.
The towering skyscraper is set to be one of the most visible on the London skyline, joining landmarks such as the nearby “Gherkin”, “Walkie Talkie” at 20 Fenchurch Street and “Cheesegrater” at 122 Leadenhall Street.
It will see the existing 20th century building at 55 Bishopsgate demolished for the skyscraper to provide office space for around 7,000 City workers.
A free public viewing gallery at summit level and an outdoor viewing platform at rooftop level will be built to provide “360 degree views” across London.
The scheme by architects Arney Fender Katsalidis will also include a publicly-accessible ground floor with pop-up retail space, dedicated cultural space and a free ‘sky garden’ conservatory with capacity for 300 visitors.
Cultural space in the skyscraper could be given over to New London Architecture for a “potential permanent home” for the London Centre, which exhibits scale models of London, the meeting heard.
The skyscraper will be 10m (33ft) shorter than neighbouring 22 Bishopsgate, which is currently the tallest building in the Square Mile.
However, the consented but not yet built ‘Trellis’ at 1 Undershaft will be the highest in the Square Mile at 1,000ft.
Speaking to argue the case for the skyscraper, the applicants said 55 Bishopsgate was a “unique opportunity” for the City.
“The proposals offer a thorough and wide-ranging public benefits package,” said Chris Gascoigne, of planning consultants DP9.
“This includes delivering over 100,000 square metres of office floor space, representing 14% of the city’s office targets.
“In addition there’s over 4,300 square metres of cultural floorspace at levels two and three, and of course the unique, 360-degree rooftop conservatory experience, which will be free to access for the public.”
Nobody was registered to speak against the proposals.
But councillors were told of concerns raised by St Paul’s Cathedral and Historic England that it would “materially detract from the townscape and heritage value of St Paul’s as a prominent historic landmark.”
In a formal letter of objection, St Paul’s surveyor Oliver Caroe said there was “significant disappointment” over harms to views of the landmark.
“The Cathedral still harbours concerns over the height and massing of the proposals and the effect this will have on St Paul’s,” he said.
“We again would note the weight that this should be given in decision making.”
However, councillors were told that City planners considered the level of harms to views of St Paul’s to be “lower level of less than substantial harm” and that the scheme would “contribute significantly to inward investment in the Square Mile.”
The tallest building in London and the UK remains The Shard at London Bridge at a height of 310m (1017 feet).
