Developers submit planning application for office redevelopment in the City

The site covers a total of 0.45 hectares and compromises of two buildings located at 6-8 Bishopsgate and 150 Leadenhall Street. The scheme includes the demolition of existing buildings and replacement with a new 40 storey tower with a basement level for parking. The tower will consist of mainly office space but will also include restaurants, cafes, shops and a public viewing gallery on the top floor.

According to the planning statement, the redevelopment will also include "significant enhancements to the public realm and highway conditions in [that] part of the city."

The site is located adjacent to conservation areas and close to a number of listed buildings; as well as a small extent being located in a conservation area.  The developer has completed detailed assessments to evaluate the impact the proposed tower will have on the neighbouring areas and the protected views of St Paul's Cathedral. The planning statement concludes that the scheme will not harm the surrounding conservation areas and the design statement has taken into account listed buildings nearby.

The planning statement said the proposed plans have been submitted following "detailed consultations with the city’s department for the Built Environment together with relevant statutory and non-statutory bodies including the Greater London Authority, English Heritage and Transport for London. The comments and suggestions made by these bodies have influenced the design of the building."

Planning expert Anna Forge of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said "The application provides for the redevelopment of 1970s buildings which were refused listing earlier this year following English Heritage's assessment of a number of post war office developments. This led to the Grade 2 listing of 14 buildings, considered by some to be eyesores, but nonetheless of illustrative of the evolution of office design since World War II and of architectural significance."  

"The site sits on the western edge of the City's eastern cluster of tall buildings, close to the Cheesegrater and required careful assessment of its impact on protected views. The scheme has been designed by leading architects Wilkinson Eyre appointed following a design competition in 2013, with Stanhope partnering MEC as development manager." said Forge.