1 Blackfriars Road [Beetham Tower/Jumeirah Hotel]

Number of public inquiries for tall buildings in London: 9
Number of these inquiries which English Heritage have won: 0
Number of these inquiries which English Heritage have lost: 9

Heron Tower - Lost
Shard of Glass - Lost
St Georges Tower - Lost
Lots Road towers - Lost
20 Fenchurch Street - Lost
Doon Street - Lost
100 City Road - Lost
1 Blackfriars Road - Lost
20 Blackfriars Road - Lost

Do you think maybe it's time English Heritage gave it a rest? How many tens of millions of pounds of public money has been wasted on PI's thanks to them? How many years of delays have they been responsible for?

How many designs have had to be compromised, revised and cut down to satisfy their hysterical phobia about tall buildings (and money for section 106 agreements and other local improvements subsequently reduced, because the developers will make less money as a result)?

English Heritage was not a party to the Blackfriars inquiry.

I'm entirely in support of EH's "hysterical phobia" about many tall buildings.

Their arguments don't have a leg to stand on. If you study the planning documents, it's obvious. They completely twist and exaggerate everything. For instance, they claim the Blackfriars towers would have a "catastrophic impact" on St James Park, when in fact they will barely be visible - just the top couple of floors, if that. There are renderings which prove this.

The Gherkin was controversial at the time, but now everyone LOVES it. Same will be true of the Shard and some of these other towers - mark my words.

The Gherkin is rather a different proposition from the Mirax-Beetham Tower; it's in an area where there are plenty of similar structures, it's a very stylish design, and it's in a non-residential neighbourhood, plus it was replacing the old B[b][/b]altic Exchange. It's worth recalling that the original proposal for the Gherkin was for a building almost 400m tall, whereas the Gherkin eventually rose to 180m.

Its a shame the buildings should be kept beneath this tree line.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2581453558_506d568037_b.jpg

The sooner something gets built on this site the better. The massive hole on Blackfriars Rd has been sitting unoccupied for years now - such a waste.

The only beneficiary from this delay so far has been the weeds.

Nihil_Dicit wrote:

The sooner something gets built on this site the better. The massive hole on Blackfriars Rd has been sitting unoccupied for years now - such a waste.
The only beneficiary from this delay so far has been the weeds.

Hmmm, the old just build anything argument.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2581453558_506d568037_b.jpg

mickysalt wrote:

Hmmm, the old just build anything argument.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2581453558_506d568037_b.jpg

No, more like a "build something 'of a high quality, inclusive and sustainable design which would improve the character of the area and produce attractive public spaces', rather than waste an inordinate amount of time and taxpayer's money" argument.

...and get rid of the weeds.

;-)