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The square mile of the City of London is chock-a-block with big buildings, and it’s about to get another one.
A new 54-storey tower is going to by built next to Liverpool Street station, occupying 60,000 square feet. 99 Bishopsgate will be one of the tallest buildings in the City, replacing the 26-storey block already on the site. The redevelopment will also include new pedestrian routes, a market hall and a separate six-storey cultural building with an events hall, gallery and studios. There will also be a pavilion building space planned to be used by ‘Intermission Youth’, a company helping disadvantaged youth through theatre.
The plans were approved by the City of London Corporation on January 31. The Corp also recently approved the tallest building in the City, which will be an equal height to the Shard.
There has been significant opposition to the redevelopment, including from some who say it would harm views of nearby St Paul’s Cathedral. Opponents also argue that the project would damage the cathedral’s cultural significance.
Historic England, which advises the government on English heritage and was consulted on the redevelopment plans, wrote that the new building would ‘erode’ the clear view of the cathedral above the modern Heron Tower, and also impact the Grade-I listed medieval church St Ethelburga’s nearby.
In a letter, Historic England stated: ‘As a consequence of the scale and massing of the proposed development, it would compete with St Paul’s Cathedral and would contribute to its visual prominence becoming further diminished, resulting in clear harm to significance and the ability to appreciate it.’
Former Archbishop Lord Rowan Williams also wrote a letter of objection in which he said that the building works and resulting obstruction to natural light ‘all combine to make this a wholly undesirable move’.
Thirty-seven letters of objection were received in total. A report by the Corporation in support of the project ahead of its approval said that the benefits ‘outweigh the identified conflict with the development plan and other material considerations which weigh against the grant of planning permission’.
Brookfield Properties, which put in the application on behalf of designers RSHP last summer, responded to concerns on the Corporations planning portal, saying that the development ‘would nonetheless make a positive contribution to the skyline at the boundary of the City Cluster in views from the River Thames’.
Graham Stirk, Senior Design Director at RSHP, said that the new building will blend ‘historical significance with sustainable, innovative design for a revitalized urban experience.’
Keen for more building buzz? Here's another skyscraper proposed for the City.
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