Tall & Urban News

London’s future second-tallest building, 1 Undershaft, has been given the go-ahead after a three-year battle.

The 951-foot (290-meter) skyscraper, nicknamed “The Trellis,” will be topped only by The Shard, which is 53 feet (16 meters) taller.

Standing at 73 stories and located between The Gherkin and The Cheese Grater, it will also be the second-highest in Western Europe.

However, it only measures about a third of the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which is 2,717 feet (828 meters).

There had been concerns the development would have a significant impact on the Tower of London, and fears that issues surrounding a Singaporean investor might stall the project.

But bosses at the City of London Corporation have now given the plans the go-ahead.

Under the plans, the tower will house up to 12,000 workers and cost hundreds of millions of British pounds to build.

It has been designed by London’s Eric Parry Architects, having been commissioned by Aroland Holdings.

The plans include a free public viewing gallery up on the 70th floor, along with an education center that will host school trips and a restaurant.

It will also be home to the world’s biggest climbing wall, giving views from 120 meters up as climbers scale the inside of the glass.

An app will also allow workers to control how much light and heat they receive at their desks.

Eric Parry, director of Eric Parry Architects, said of the plans, “1 Undershaft will create more of the quality office space that is desperately needed in the capital, and will reconnect the city’s tall building cluster with the public.”

“This building will set new standards for the City in terms of comfort, quality, environmental sustainability and putting the public at the heart of the tower.”

“Most tall buildings are used Monday to Friday, but 1 Undershaft will be used seven days a week, with the public able to enjoy the new public square, viewing platform and restaurant every day.”

“It will be the jewel in the crown of the City of London and something we hope Londoners will be very proud of.”

Historic Royal Palaces, which owns the Tower of London, complained that the building would become “visually intrusive” in the surrounding area and dwarf the dominance of the Tower.

A planning objection submitted to the City of London Corporation states “Historic Royal Palaces objects to the current 1 Undershaft, because of the irreparable harm it would do to the setting of the Tower of London.”

“Our principal concern is the potential visual impact that the proposed development would have on the setting of the Tower of London World Heritage Site and therefore its Outstanding Universal Value.”

Approval was originally granted in 2016 but was resubmitted following objections.

A start date for construction has not been confirmed.

For more on this story, go to Metro.