A rooftop terrace overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral has been shut down amid safety fears after two people fell to their deaths in the space of two months.
The sixth-floor terrace on top of shopping centre One New Change offers visitors free access to views of London’s skyline including The Shard, the London Eye, and Sir Christopher Wren’s Cathedral masterpiece.
But in recent weeks it has been the scene of two suspected suicides, forcing the owners to shut down the area “for the foreseeable” over safety concerns.
A note on the shopping centre’s website blames the closure on “essential maintenance work” and is said to be temporary.
But a report from a coroner has now revealed the real reason behind the sudden shutdown of a terrace popular with tourists and also home to a bustling cocktail bar and restaurant.
Senior Coroner for the City of London Alison Hewitt issued the report after being asked to investigate the death of Arezou Tirgari, saying she is suspected of “jumping from the roof” on June 1 this year.
“The evidence I have gathered to date reveals matters giving rise to concern”, said the coroner.
“Kai Cheng Barnaby, deceased, whose death is being investigated by HM Senior Coroner for Inner South London, jumped to his death on the 6th April 2023 from the roof.
Eight weeks later, on the 1st June 2023, Arezou Tirgari was also able to jump to her death from the same location.
“It seems that no or no sufficient action has been taken to prevent persons being able to jump from the roof terrace and that there is an ongoing risk of further deaths.”
In a statement to the Evening Standard, a spokesperson for building owner Landsec said: “We were shocked and saddened by the recent tragic events at One New Change; our thoughts remain with anyone who has been affected.
“The safety of everyone who visits our places is of paramount importance to us and we take building security extremely seriously. We made the decision in June 2023 to close the terrace at One New Change to the public whilst we assessed the safety measures in place to protect visitors.
“We have received the Coroner’s report and will review the recommendations before responding in full. We are committed to working with the investigation to find solutions. In the meantime, the terrace will remain closed.”
The terrace closure was first announced to the public on June 2, the day after Ms Tirgari’s death, with a website note saying: “We anticipate that the roof terrace will be closed for a few weeks.”
On June 26, the public notice was amended to read: “We anticipate that the roof terrace will be closed for the foreseeable. Thanks for your patience.
“Our terrace will be closed to public access for the time being due to essential maintenance work. We know that many of our guests visit us to take in the views of London that the terrace offers, we can only apologise for the inconvenience this temporary closure will cause.” It added that the cocktail bar and restaurant, Madison, remains open.
After Mr Barnaby’s death, the Metropolitan Police announced the death of a 27-year-old woman at a block of flats in Elephant and Castle on April 6.
Later the same day, Scotland Yard said “police were called to reports of a man fallen from height” at the City shopping centre.
“Despite the efforts of members of the public and medics, the man, aged 31, was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Detective Inspector Mike Nolan of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “I would like to reassure the community that we don’t believe that any other persons are outstanding in connection with this tragic sequence of events.”
Landsec had been given until August to respond to the coroner’s safety concerns, issued unusually early during the investigation into a death rather than at the end of a full inquest.
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