The City of London has released some updated images visualising how the Square Mile’s skyline will look by the mid 2020’s.

(c) Didier Madoc-Jones of GMJ / City of London Corporation

The updated skyline adds in all major developments that have had planning approval over the past 12 months including 50 Fenchurch Street, 55 Gracechurch Street, 60 Aldgate High Street, 70 Gracechurch Street and 2-3 Finsbury Avenue. The majority of these tall buildings fall within the ‘City Cluster’ area, located in the eastern corner of the Square Mile.

The City Cluster is set to close the gap between the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ and the main group of towers.

Curator-in-Chief at NLA, Peter Murray, said “Love them or loathe them, tall buildings provide a striking graphic image of the confidence that developers and investors have in a city.”

Key development guidance included in the current City Plan for new office developments encourages urban greening, new pedestrian routes through tall buildings and the inclusion of flexible and adaptable office floorspace.

With increasing numbers of companies expecting people to return to the office, at least part-time, if not more, while there’s likely to be some working from home, it’s already looking to be far less than was being boldly predicted at the start of the pandemic.

The main constraint at the moment is more to do with how many people can cluster in the support facilities – kitchens, lifts, toilets – than the office floor, that’s limiting how many people can fit into a building at the moment. How long that lasts is of course unknown, but it seems likely that the requirement for social distancing is already heading the way of the Dodo. A future office with some working from home may see fewer rows of desks as fewer people work at the same desk 5-days a week, but a lot more meeting spaces for the days that the teams come into the office for collaborations.

If anything, more construction will be needed in the City as older unsuitable buildings are replaced with more modern post-pandemic compliant offices.

(c) Didier Madoc-Jones of GMJ / City of London Corporation

  • 22 Bishopsgate – Just completed
  • 100 Bishopsgate – Just completed
  • 150 Bishopsgate – Nearing completion
  • 6-8 Bishopsgate – Under Construction
  • 40 Leadenhall Street – Under Construction
  • 1 Leadenhall Place – Under Construction
  • 1 Undershaft – Consented
  • 100 Leadenhall Street – Consented
  • 50 Fenchurch Street – Resolved to Consent – still subject to S106 Approval
  • 70 Gracechurch Street – Resolved to Consent – still subject to S106 Approval
  • 55 Gracechurch Street – Resolved to Consent – still subject to S106 Approval
  • 2-3 Finsbury Avenue – Resolved to Consent – still subject to S106 Approval
  • The Tulip – Currently subject of a Public Inquiry

There are currently approximately six further tall building (of over 75m) applications being considered to be put forward for planning approval.

NEWSLETTER

Be the first to know what's on in London, and the latest news published on ianVisits.

You can unsubscribe at any time from my weekly emails.

Tagged with:
SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE

This website has been running now for over a decade, and while advertising revenue contributes to funding the website, it doesn't cover the costs. That is why I have set up a facility with DonorBox where you can contribute to the costs of the website and time invested in writing and research for the news articles.

It's very similar to the way The Guardian and many smaller websites are now seeking to generate an income in the face of rising costs and declining advertising.

Whether it's a one-off donation or a regular giver, every additional support goes a long way to covering the running costs of this website, and keeping you regularly topped up doses of Londony news and facts.

If you like what you read on here, then please support the website here.

Thank you

5 comments
  1. Niall says:

    Probably not until the early 2030s, since there’s no sign that 1US will be started any time soon and 100 Leadenhall isn’t due to finish until 2027 at the very earliest.

  2. Guy says:

    Maybe London can start planting more trees than buildings?
    Also some of these architects don’t understand the conditions a tree needs to live.

    Broad gate Tower, Worship Street, the Bamboo is dieing. They had to cut it back. There is no sunshine in Bishops gate due to the tall buildings. It’s 90% shadows and wind in Bishops gate.

    Chelsea Barracks Chelsea Road. They’ve put a massive blue metal tree amongst all the real trees. This isn’t art it’s sickness.

    Countless trees architects have stuffed outside their tall modern buildings are dead or dying, because of the tall buildings blocking out he sun.

    The amount of new residential towers london wide is irreversible. London will become colder and more windier with more tower blocks. Depression levels will increase due to low sunshine. Companies will try to sell you vitamin D tablets to make up for the lack of sunshine. Hang on!, that’s already happening! !!

    • ianVisits says:

      London is one of the greenest cities in the world in terms of tree coverage and parkland.

      So a few hundred yards of land in the centre is a cluster of towers — if that brings in the money to maintain acres of woodland elsewhere, then that’s a great thing to do.

      If you want to see the effect of the City of London’s spending on woodlands, visit Epping Forest or Burnham Beeches, both managed by the City.

    • barbicanman says:

      I would add, re sunshine, that flats in residential towers get vastly more sunlight than flats lower down or indeed houses – both as a result of larger windows and because there are no obstructions to the sun (trees, other houses) further up.

      If the goal is to increase the amount of sunshine city-dwellers get, getting more of them to live in tower flats is the best way of doing that…

  3. Scott Orr says:

    Not so sure about your COVID-compliant ideas about new builds, but one aspect to consider is that many existing buildings have far better ventilation (uncirculated) than new constructions.

Home >> News >> Architecture