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The City of London has delayed a decision on the Square Mile’s new tallest building following a last-minute objection from the chairman of insurance market Lloyd’s of London.
City of London Corporation officials have recommended approval for a 73-storey skyscraper called 1 Undershaft. But on Tuesday they faced a grilling from members of the body’s planning committee over the encroachment on St Helena Square at the foot of the tower.
Shravan Joshi, chairman of planning at the City of London corporation, said delaying the decision would allow time to “go back and negotiate with the applicant” about the fate of the public square.
The unexpected decision followed a letter from Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of Lloyd’s, objecting to the project because it “would deprive the city of a really important gathering space”.
The City of London corporation was expected to vote on the landmark project almost 10 years after it was first proposed. At around the same height as the Shard, it would be one of the tallest buildings in Europe.
Lloyd’s recently agreed to a lease extension at its Richard Rogers-designed headquarters across the street, the heart of the city’s specialist insurance market, where brokers and underwriters still meet face-to-face to negotiate contracts.
1 The lower shaft would be 50 stories taller than the existing 23-story tower from the 1960s on the site of Aviva, whose design was influenced by modernist architect Mies van der Rohe. The Twentieth Century Society, which seeks to preserve modern architecture, argued that it should not be knocked down.
The site is located between four famous buildings: 22 Bishopsgate, now the tallest building in the city; 122 Leadenhall Street, known as the ‘cheese grater’; cucumber; and Lloyd’s of London, which is Grade I listed and is nicknamed an “inside-out” building because its services, such as lifts and ducts, run from the outside.
The project was first approved by the city in 2016 as a simple tower design by architect Eric Parry. It is promoted by Aroland Holdings working with developer Stanhope. Behind Aroland is Singaporean tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong, chairman and chief executive of food giant Wilmar International Limited, one of the world’s largest oil palm plantation owners.
Last year, Aroland applied for permission to significantly expand the tower, adding one story in height, as well as a stepped design that would allow for multiple terraces and increase the building’s floor area. The new design, also by Parry, includes a garden on the 11th floor and a viewing gallery on the top level, which will be open to the public.
The architects said the new design would “crowned” the city’s cluster of skyscrapers and was in line with its plans to make London’s business center a more attractive place for workers and visitors, with “high quality outdoor spaces, public open spaces, improved sustainability and a cultural and creative offering “.
In response to Tuesday’s decision, a spokesperson for the project said it had “listened carefully to comments regarding the public space”.
“We will be working closely with the City of London Corporation and our neighbors in the insurance industry to consider this through minor revisions to the scheme,” they added.
However, the new proposal also takes a large chunk out of St. Helena Square. Committee members said Carnegie-Brown’s intervention highlighted opposition to the project in the insurance industry.
Carnegie-Brown said the 11th floor garden would be “significantly less attractive than the space it would replace” due to security requirements. Similar rooftop gardens elsewhere in the city require visitors to go through airport security, sometimes causing queues.
Historic England objected to the development along with owners of neighboring buildings, including Cheesegrater investor CC Land and the Universities Superannuation Scheme, who oppose much of the new design and the loss of public space.