A 34-storey skyscraper set to dominate the City skyline has been approved by Square Mile officials, in a major boost to the area’s high-grade office capacity and local economy.
A proposal to redevelop a tower block at 130 Fenchurch Street into a “showpiece office building” was approved unanimously by the City of London Corporation’s planning sub-committee on Tuesday, with planning officers branding it an “adornment to the skyline”.
The approval, granted to Aviva Investors, paves the way for developers to break ground on one of the City’s most ambitious skyscraper development projects that will see the currently vacant ‘Fountain House’ tower block regenerated into ‘state-of-the-art’ office space.
Plans to demolish Fountain House, a 16-storey modernist block that was built on the remains of a Second World War bomb site, will now go ahead.
As well as permission for 58,000 sq m of commercial office space, the 130 Fenchurch St proposal contains a floor that will be devoted to public exhibitions and over 4,000 sq ft of retail and hospitality facilities.
Developers will also carve out several new public spaces ; a move that was singled out by officials on the committee.
New skyscraper will have ‘distinct architectural character’
In a report delivered to the sub-committee, planning officers said the scheme would bolster the Square Mile with “a distinct architectural character” while also improving the surrounding public realm.
“Located in the heart of the City cluster, the proposed tower would be a mixed-use development, chiefly providing grade A, best-in-class office accommodation [and] would contribute significantly to the City’s strategic economic and cultural objectives,” they wrote. “Aesthetically, the proposed tower would be an adornment to the skyline. It would fit neatly into the City cluster as existing and envisaged.”
The new building’s floor-to-ceiling glass design was drafted by award-winning architects Eyre Wilkinson, while the construction itself will be overseen by central London property developers Co-Re.
The decision was hailed by Lawrence Newport, a pro-development campaigner who leads the pressure group Looking for Growth, as “extremely good news” in the face of growing political momentum to speed up thorny planning processes.
“We are in an economic emergency,” he told City AM. “We need to be able to build and to build fast.
“Projects like this mean Britain can invest in ideas, in people, and innovate. When projects are blocked by our absurd system, Britain continues to decline.
“The approval of this project is extremely good news, now it is time to build fast. Projects like this mean we can keep investing in London, the greatest city in the world.”