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Artist’s impression of the skyscraper |
Glass tower hopes shattered
Plans for 39-storey skyscraper thrown out amid criticism of ‘real estate bling’
PLANS to site one of London’s tallest skyscrapers in back streets behind Old Street station have been thrown out.
Opposition to the proposed 39-storey glass tower – dubbed “real estate bling” – has united residents, businesses and politicians.
The skyscraper, backed by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, would have formed part of a proposed three-building cluster around Featherstone Street and Mallow Street. It would have dwarfed the London Eye, Centre Point and nearby Barbican.
A marathon session of Islington Council’s south area planning committee on Tuesday night threw out the plans, recommended for approval by Town Hall officials.
Councillors decided the 149-metre tall tower was too high, too bulky and lacked sufficient affordable social housing.
It would have meant demolishing a number of buildings, including a listed block in City Road, which angered English Heritage.
The main tower would have had 250 flats, plus 100,000 square feet of offices, shops, bars, cafés and an underground car park, but no outdoor play space for children or balconies for residents. Council planner Ashley Niman said the tower had a “general elegance”.
But Mallow Street resident Robin Williamson said: “It’s just a piece of real estate bling and it’s not even as good as Shanghai or New York.”
Stefan Magdalinski, 35, a web designer from Mallow Street, called the skyscraper “horribly corporate and bland”.
Residents objected that the tower would block out light and ruin privacy.
Old Street-based Inmarsat, a company which provided communications in the aftermath of the 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and tsunami disasters, was concerned that the skyscraper, originally planned to have 43 storeys, would block signals to satellites.
The lack of social housing was a major objection, with only 18 flats planned for the tower. Another £1.8 million worth of flats for the less-well-off would have been built in Archway four miles away.
In total, the scheme would have had 35 per cent social housing – below the 50 per cent Islington target, introduced after the planning application was submitted.
Opposition to the skyscraper united Lib Dem and Labour politicians.
Bunhill Lib Dem councillor Ruth Polling and Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, said they had been inundated with complaints.
But developer LMS insisted the scheme offered “a window of opportunity” to provide more social housing.
Agent Jennifer Ross warned councillors that if they did not grant planning permission the site would go back to its original state for the next 15 years.
Architect Michael Squires said: “It’s depressing when one has given so much love and commitment to this building to be told it is a load of rubbish that no one has cared about.
“It is a building that an awful lot of people have got a passion for and it is unquestionably a slender and elegant landmark location.”
But the councillors, four Lib Dem and one Labour, unanimously rejected the plans.
Chairman Lib Dem councillor George Allan said: “This site can handle higher buildings. However, for all its alleged elegance, the height is excessive.”
An LMS executive said after the meeting that the company would consider an appeal. |
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