The Corporation of London has published its draft ‘City Plan 2040’, and intends to consult on this in “Spring/Summer 2024”, meaning presumably that consultation should begin imminently. This document sets out how the Corporation views the next 15 years of development in the City: what the planning priorities should be, which parts of the City should receive special attention, which areas should get high-rise buildings and which should remain at the historic height of the streetscape that we see today.
The vexed question of what to do with tall buildings gets quite a lot of space in the plan, with two areas being designated as “Tall Buildings Areas”: the so-called City Cluster centred on St Mary Axe, and the Fleet Valley. The Plan proposes that buildings of up to 300m above datum be permitted in these areas.
The Plan references heritage extensively and makes “preserving and enhancing” heritage or historical features a necessary starting point of several policies. There is also specific mention of, and protection for, the unique setting of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, in addition to St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Monument and the Tower of London.
Taken at face value this is all good news, and we’re pleased to see such references to heritage running through the Plan.
Despite this, we remain concerned. The Corporation’s maps show that their City Cluster tall buildings area overlaps several conservation areas. Does this mean that planners will be directed to have a presumption in favour of allowing tall buildings in those areas, despite the Corporation’s duty under the National Planning Policy Framework only to allow development within conservation areas which “enhance[s] or better reveal[s] the significance” of the conservation area? How is a historic, low-rise conservation area like St Helens Place enhanced by a 280m tower? Will the natural daylight crucial to Bevis Marks be protected, or eliminated, by these proposals? These are all questions the Plan’s authors and sponsors will need to answer, as the Plan itself is silent on how these issues will be resolved.
The Society will review the Plan in detail and will take part in the consultation when it opens on 18 April. Please do send us your thoughts – chair@cityheritage.org.uk . You can find all the documents on the City of London website here.
