Member Article

London's newest skyscraper given go-ahead by City planners

22 Bishopsgate has been given planning permission by The City of London Corporation’s Planning & Transportation Committee.

The skyscraper, on the former Pinnacle site, has remained half-built since 2008 after developers failed to fully fund the project.

Bought by developers Lipton Rogers and Axa Real Estate for £220m in February, 22 Bishopsgate will host 1.3 million sq ft of office space, with another 43,700 sq ft given over to restaurants, bars, retail and a viewing gallery.

The planning permission for the new tower does not invalidate the old one, meaning that in theory either design could be built, the council said.

After the Committee, Chief Planning Officer Annie Hampson said: “This is a substantial high quality tower. 22 Bishopsgate exemplifies many of the qualities we are looking for in our landmark buildings – it is elegant, calm, and open to the public.

“A viewing gallery at the top will provide for workers, visitors, residents with the opportunity to look out over the City free of charge. Tall buildings in the City’s Eastern Cluster near transport hubs are an effective way of creating the increase in office space and employment needed for a growing London.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .