City planners poised to approve 57-storey tower despite host of objections
SOM鈥檚 57-storey tower earmarked for a prime spot in the heart of the City of London has been recommended for approval despite a litany of concerns over its impact on the Tower of London, a grade I-listed synagogue and other historic buildings.
Dubbed 鈥淐heesegrater 2鈥� because of its stylistic similarity and proximity to Rogers Stirk Harbour鈥檚 Cheesegrater, the development is formally known as 100 Leadenhall Street and was designed for Hong Kong-based Lai Sun Development鈥檚 Frontier Dragon subsidiary.
If approved in its current form, , measuring up at 41m shorter than Eric Parry鈥檚 1 Undershaft and 31m shorter than PLP鈥檚 22 Bishopsgate.
It would deliver 102,000sq m of new office space, 882sq m of retail space, and accessible public viewing areas 鈥� along with a bar and restaurant 鈥� on the building鈥檚 top two floors.
But it will require the clearance of three existing office buildings, two of which are considered to be non-designated heritage assets, a status one level below grade II listing.
Most contentious of all is the scheme鈥檚 impact on buildings that will remain. Historic Royal Palaces is concerned about the effect on views of the Tower of London World Heritage Site. St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral has complained about encroachment on views of its dome. And multiple complaints have raised concerns about the impact on the nearby Bevis Marks Synagogue, the oldest in the country.
A consultation response from Historic Royal Palaces said 100 Leadenhall Street would have a 鈥渧ery major adverse鈥� impact on the dominance of the Tower of London鈥檚 White Tower. A design and access statement supporting the application accepted there would be an impact, but argued it would be 鈥渂eneficial鈥�, an evaluation with which HRP said it disagreed 鈥渟trongly鈥�.
St Paul鈥檚 said 100 Leadenhall Street would further encroach on the 鈥渟ky space around the dome of the cathedral鈥� in views from the west, eroding the 鈥渁bsolute limit of harm鈥� set by the Cheesegrater. The cathedral surveyor said it was 鈥渘ot acceptable to further chisel away at the setting of the cathedral dome鈥�, adding that just because Wilkinson Eyre鈥檚 nearby , approved in October and now under construction, would marginally break the Cheesegrater line, it was 鈥渘ot a justification for another building which further harms the view鈥�.
City of London planning officers said more than 60 complaints about the impact of 100 Leadenhall Street on the setting of the 18th-century Bevis Marks Synagogue had been received, including one from the Georgian Society.
However, their report to next week鈥檚 meeting of the authority鈥檚 planning and transportation committee dismisses the concerns, arguing that the tower鈥檚 impact on local heritage assets had been 鈥渁ssessed and is considered acceptable鈥�.
The report adds that SOM鈥檚 proposals have the backing of the Greater London Authority and were not subject to an objection from government heritage adviser Historic England.
Officers accepted that art deco 106 Leadenhall Street and 107 Leadenhall Street were 鈥渁ttractive non-designated heritage assets鈥� and that their loss would be 鈥渉armful鈥�. But they concluded that the benefits of the new development 鈥渙utweighed鈥� the loss of the current buildings.
They argued that the existing building at 100 Leadenhall Street, which was completed in 1975 to a design by Fitzroy Robinson & Partners and later reclad to a design by Rolfe Judd Architects, could not be considered a non-designated heritage asset.
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