Plans for Freshwater Group’s Square Mile tower block have been recommended for approval despite a surge in objections during a delay to it landing in front of the City of London Corporation’s planning committee.
The redevelopment of Tenter House at 45 Moorfields, EC2, would create a part-14, part-21 storey block totalling nearly 368,000 sq ft, comprising 363,400 sq ft of office space, 3,100 sq ft of retail and 1,500 sq ft for community use. Officers have recommended it for approval at a 29 October meeting.
The proposals had been expected to come before the planning committee on 2 July alongside plans for the redevelopment of 1 Undershaft. But the vote was delayed so the planning committee did not have to debate two large tower schemes during one session. The vote on 1 Undershaft was then deferred while fresh changes were made to that project.
Since the Tenter House debate was delayed in June, the number of objections to the scheme has risen to 92 from 57, with most coming from residents of the nearby Barbican and focused on issues such as loss of light, increased traffic and noise pollution.
Planning officers also considered that the scheme would have a “slight” and “fleeting” impact on views of St Paul’s Cathedral, despite there being no formal objection on the matter from Historic England.
A second public statement of support was received during the same period. The statement, which praised the “tasteful” proposals, came from a Barbican resident whose only request was that the commercial space should accommodate a pub to replace the previous pub onsite called the Rack and Tenter.
In recommending the scheme for approval, planning officers agreed the loss of the pub would be “regrettable”.
However, they added that its loss and lack of reinstatement would be “acceptable” within the application, which they said delivered “high-quality office space and significant transformational improvements to the public plaza”.
Image © David Walker Architects
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