City approves towers despite 1,000 objections

The One Silk Street scheme will demolish the former Skidmore, Owings & Merrill base opposite the Barbican Centre and replace it with a 20-storey block and a 16-storey block. The City of London Corporation planning committee approved the plan, which includes a new square plus retail and cultural spaces. The proposal by Lipton Rogers Developments and LaSalle Investment Management faced concerns about height and effects on the Grade II listed Barbican Estate, even after reductions following public outcry. The consultation drew more than 1,000 objections out of 1,850 responses, and Corporation officers recommended approval, citing less than substantial harm to heritage assets and office floor-space benefits. The approved design adds a plaza at the Barbican entrance and a pedestrian route linking Moorgate and Liverpool Street with the estate, while office space increases by about 43% over the existing structure.

"The original proposal for the 1980s block, which was home to the Linklaters law firm, would have seen the existing structure knocked down and replaced with a new building composed of two 20-storey towers. The backlash meant the designs were scaled back with one of the blocks reduced to 16 storeys plus a ground floor, still three taller than the current building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service."

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