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15/04/2003
Skyscraper plans slammed by English Heritage
The planned location for a 1,000 ft skyscraper in London has been slammed today by English Heritage for "usurping" St Paul's Cathedral as the symbolic heart of the capital.
English Heritage spoke out on the day that the public inquiry for the £350 million London Bridge Tower – to be undertaken by Renzo Piano – was launched in Bankside, south London. The plans envisage a 66-storey, 305 metre office building for Southwark, on the grounds of an old GLC building. And if it goes ahead the tower would the tallest building in Europe.
However, Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said that the tower cuts through the body of St Paul’s Cathedral from the "legally protected" view at Parliament Hill Fields.
He added: "It does not simply vie for attention with St Paul’s but massively usurps the Cathedral as the symbol of the city. St Paul’s Cathedral is the internationally recognised signature of London and the Capital’s most important historic and architectural focal point.
We cannot allow this speculative office block to replace St Paul’s as the symbolic focus of the Capital."
However, Mr Thurley praised the architectural composition of the building but said it was the "wrong location for the tallest building in Europe .
The construction company Renzo Piano has moved to allay fears over the siting of the tower, saying that St Paul's Cathedral is an "extraordinary monument" and that its "stateliness will not be disturbed by the new tower".
(GMcG)
English Heritage spoke out on the day that the public inquiry for the £350 million London Bridge Tower – to be undertaken by Renzo Piano – was launched in Bankside, south London. The plans envisage a 66-storey, 305 metre office building for Southwark, on the grounds of an old GLC building. And if it goes ahead the tower would the tallest building in Europe.
However, Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said that the tower cuts through the body of St Paul’s Cathedral from the "legally protected" view at Parliament Hill Fields.
He added: "It does not simply vie for attention with St Paul’s but massively usurps the Cathedral as the symbol of the city. St Paul’s Cathedral is the internationally recognised signature of London and the Capital’s most important historic and architectural focal point.
We cannot allow this speculative office block to replace St Paul’s as the symbolic focus of the Capital."
However, Mr Thurley praised the architectural composition of the building but said it was the "wrong location for the tallest building in Europe .
The construction company Renzo Piano has moved to allay fears over the siting of the tower, saying that St Paul's Cathedral is an "extraordinary monument" and that its "stateliness will not be disturbed by the new tower".
(GMcG)
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