We are now at serious risk of wrecking our skyline

The 16-storey office and hotel block that would be built on top of Liverpool Street station
Sellar
Duncan Wilson27 June 2023
WEST END FINAL

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Yet more tall buildings are coming to London. Ten are planned for the City alone and each has the potential to transform our capital’s skyline, which has seen radical change over the past decade. Some tall buildings are undeniably well-designed and elegant but I share Anna van Praagh’s concerns in her piece last week over the quality of others currently looming over London.

London is still largely low-rise and each tower exerts a powerful, wide-reaching impact. Among those proposed for the City is one above the Grade II-listed Liverpool Street Station, which would not only impact one of London’s finest Victorian stations but its sheer bulk means it would encroach on views of landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral. With misguided schemes like this on the horizon, surely it is time to take a more considered approach?

London has always and will always change, but change should not come at the expense of what makes it special. Tall buildings, if in the wrong places and poorly designed, can seriously harm our city.

Now is the time to consider how many of these proposed new towers we actually need, given the carbon impacts of constructing them, when the alternative may be the greener option of retrofitting existing buildings. Consider, too, that there must be questions about the need for new office space following the growth of more flexible working arrangements.

Tall buildings in the right places can make exciting contributions to city life but they should be planned-for properly. We should be looking at their cumulative effect, not just considering each one separately.

The City of London Corporation is adapting its planning policies to identify the right areas for tall buildings but we should go further. Consultation about tall buildings is too narrow, so we stand for a pan-London approach, with Londoners being better informed and involved, through accessible 3D modelling and more.

While you can put a price on each tower, both our skyline and our streetscapes are treasured and priceless. London deserves better.

Duncan Wilson is chief executive of Historic England

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