English Heritage (EH) has warned that London could be “destroyed” unless the mayor of London draws up a strategy for evaluating major schemes in central London.
EH chairman Sir Neil Cossons said that the ad-hoc development of tall buildings could lead to “cultural impoverishment and economic bankruptcy”.
He added: “Although individual schemes may only have limited adverse impact, the cumulative effect is to destroy the London we all cherish.”
The warning follows EH’s approval of Minerva’s planned 43-storey St Botolph’s House tower in the City, in defiance of its London Advisory Group (LAG), which wanted the tower called in by the secretary of state.
EH said that its commissioners agreed with LAG that the scheme would have a detrimental effect on views of the Tower of London, but did not consider the scheme’s impact to be so great as to justify a recommendation to call it in.
EGi News 30/12/02
