Heron’s proposed 37-storey office tower at 110 Bishopsgate, EC3, has been given the go-ahead by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Gerald Ronson’s Heron will now press ahead with building the 183m skyscraper.
The tower was the subject of a bitterly contested public inquiry last year, which pitched English Heritage and Westminster council – who were opposed to the plans – against Heron, the mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the City Corporation.
Cahit Atasoy, director of Heron Corporation, said: “We welcome the decision by John Prescott to approve the Heron Tower and we are looking forward to making a major contribution to the City’s skyline and economy and to meeting the needs of commercial occupiers for high-quality, flexible office space.
“Heron was always confident in its case and that the planning process would deliver the right result for London’s future development.”
The verdict is expected to unleash a wave of applications from developers who will take it as evidence that the establishment is becoming more positive about tall buildings.
English Heritage responded coolly to the news, saying: “We are disappointed that we did not persuade the Inspector that the development would have damaging effects on the views of St Paul’s Cathedral.
“We continue to believe that the Heron Tower will damage world-famous views of the Cathedral and blight the London skyline for years to come.
“It is ironic that the very moment when the Draper’s Gardens Tower is to be replaced by a lower rise building, permission should be granted for a new tall building.
“This is not a precedent for other tall building applications to be granted and will not lead to a developers ‘free for all’ in the historic centre of London.”
But Judith Salomon of London First said: “This is the right decision for London. We hope there is not a repeat of such a drawn out process for future developments that don’t obstruct London’s strategic views.”
EGi News 22/07/02
