Yahoo News Sadiq Khan’s team to take no further action on proposed 22-storey Moorgate office block after review
Sadiq Khan’s team have said they will take no further action on plans for a new 22-storey office block near Moorgate Station. The Greater London Authority (GLA) was reviewing the Tenter House scheme due to it sitting within a ‘strategic viewing corridor’, and may have chosen to decide the application itself rather than the City of London Corporation.
The update means the City is confirmed as the final authority, and will refuse or approve the scheme via its planning committee.
Applicant Metropolitan Properties (City) Limited’s proposal, which is the seventh for the site in 27 years, intends to demolish the current 11-storey Tenter House and replace it with a part-14, part-22 storey building. Works to the nearby City Point Plaza are also included in the plans.
The GLA had been assessing the application to understand whether, due to the site’s position in the viewing corridor, it needs to be consulted or indeed decide the scheme itself. In a letter sent to the City from John Finlayson, Head of Development Management at the GLA, it is noted however that 'the amendments do not give rise to any new strategic planning issues'.
Mr Finlayson added the mayor does not therefore require to be consulted further, and the City can 'proceed to determine the application without further reference to the GLA'.
The latest proposal for Tenter House expands upon plans approved in 2020 for an 18-storey building. Since then, some demolition works have commenced, including asbestos removal and taking out access steps.
Jane Smith, a resident and member of the Barbican Association, previously slammed the scheme as 'unwelcome', with concerns over the carbon and heritage impacts.
She said: “The planning proposal for Tenter House is a tall building of 22 storeys which does not fit with the Mayor of London's view on where tall buildings are suitable, nor the City's policies on respecting heritage. It is particularly galling to see that this tower will affect two of the views of St Paul's that are supposed to be protected for everyone's enjoyment.
“The location of this 22-storey tower surrounded by three conservation areas and people's homes is unsuitable for such a tall, bulky new build. It pokes up over the historic skyline. It cuts out daylight and sunlight for people who live next door, and who will also be overlooked by roof terraces. 88 lorry deliveries are projected to arrive every day, including weekends, along a narrow residential street and strategic cycle route.”
Guy Bransby, Partner at consultancy Montagu Evans, said: "[The proposal] will deliver a suite of economic, environmental and social benefits to the City, including the delivery of approximately 34,880sqm of grade A office accommodation, including a commitment to creative workspace, significant public realm and landscaping improvement works to City Point Plaza and New Union Street, and the delivery of a large range of cultural opportunities unique to the Site, including the provision of a community meeting space within the building."
Tenter House was constructed by BP in the 1960s, as part of a three-building development. An internal target date to decide the new scheme is listed on the City of London's website as June 25, 2024.
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