Judge clears way for 'blot on the landscape'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Objections to a 43-storey residential block on London’s South Bank were thrown out by a High Court Judge today.
Both English Heritage and Westminster City Council sought to block the proposals, which were approved by Hazel Blears last August.
Councillor Robert Davis, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for the built environment, railed against the ruling, saying that the tower would be “a blot on the landscape for generations to come… nothing short of architectural vandalism.”
The planning permission for the tower was contested on the grounds that it would undermine the “rich architectural heritage of Westminster…which has 11,000 listed buildings. The construction of the wrong type of buildings could destroy its look for future generations.”
English Heritage said that it was “disappointed" by the decision.
The Doon Street Tower, designed by architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, will stand at 168 metres, taller than anything else currently on the South Bank. When completed it will be the fourth tallest building in the capital after Canary Wharf, the NatWest Tower and the Post Office Tower. The construction will include 329 apartments, a sports centre and a swimming pool.
The 13-acre site received planning permission for an 111-metre-tall hotel in 1974 and another high-rise construction during the 1980s, but neither project materialised due to costs.
The planning inspector at the time of the decision last year was Philip Wilson, who recommended that the scheme be refused following a three-week public enquiry. Blears defended her decision to approve the construction by saying that the benefits to the community would outweigh the costs.
The judge ordered that the objectors pay the Secretary of State’s costs.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments