Skyscraper Approved For London’s South Bank By Mayor

The construction of three new tower blocks close to the Thames has received the approval of Mayor Sadiq Khan. The former ITV studios are to be demolished in order to make way for a 25-storey skyscraper. According to the locals, the skyscraper will add to the Thames' visual harm already inflicted by other construction projects. 

The project, known as 72 Upper, would cover more than 90,000ft of prime real estate and be made up of two linked towers with 25 and 14 floors each. According to reports, Mitsubishi Estate and development company CO-RE bought the London site for £150 million.

A petition with around 4,000 signatures has been started to stop the new construction because the construction will take place in a preserved area next to the National Theatre and the IBM building which is Grade-II-listed. A City Hall spokesperson said the scheme's "public benefits" would outweigh any harm to the area's heritage. However, the government could still stop it because it was "called in" by Michael Gove, the former Communities Secretary, in May. Thus it may take the control away from Lambeth Council. The administration has not made a decision, and ministers may still decide to scrap the plan. 

Blocked Light Anxiety

The new tower's enormous size has caused residents to worry that it may obstruct light. They are hoping the mayor will reject the ideas. The absence of housing and affordable workspace in the plan has also drawn criticism from Florence Eshalomi, the Labour MP for Vauxhall.

Call for a Public Inquiry

Jenny O'Neil, a local resident and the leader of the Save Our South Bank Action Group, opined that the mayor’s blunders would necessitate a public investigation. The South Bank and its tenants who reside in social housing will suffer significantly from the proposal due to the enormous daylight losses, she said in her statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), claiming that the proposed tower's site is a vital location.

The Save Our South Bank Action Group has further added that it would shade a more significant portion of the riverwalk on hot days.

Although the South Bank plan had already received approval from Lambeth Council, it still had to overcome two obstacles, one of which it has now done.

The mayor's office denied the opportunity to review the proposals, claiming that the huge “public advantages" outweighed the raised concerns. A spokesperson for the mayor stated that the strategic difficulties presented with this development had been satisfactorily addressed. Unfortunately, it seems that Mayor Sadiq Khan has failed to take any strategic action or defend local residents' rights.

The original approval of the plans came from Lambeth Council in March. But it needed further clearance from the Greater London Authority (GLA), just like other similarly sized projects proposed for London.

According to a City Hall report, the development would result in some impairment to local heritage assets, especially the character and location of the South Bank Conservation Area. However, it stated that officers have concluded that although less significant harm would be done to certain cultural assets, this would be compensated by the public benefits of the programme.

According to the builders Mitsubishi Estate and CO-RE, upon completion, the site would have a gallery, cafes, office space and restaurants along the river, as well as a rehearsal area. They said that the proposals would make a valuable contribution to the South Bank.

The overcrowded Thames

The Thames has been degraded over the past 15 years by large-scale construction projects, and this South Bank project will be the worst addition. The river in London is in a terrible state. However, the South Bank project will be one of the biggest and most ambitious office buildings. Towers and slabs are sporadically positioned along the Thames bank. Things will get messier after this new block is added.

The new structure will be larger and more substantial than the old one. The old ITV HQ is a single tower and slimmer than the proposed construction. The new tower will be taller than its neighbour, the National Theater, by more than two times. It will tower over St. Paul's or the Houses of Parliament upon its completion. 

Employment Opportunities

Planning officials for Lambeth Council acknowledged that the new skyscraper would probably be controversial and exceedingly unpopular. Still, once it is finished, it would produce up to 4,500 employments in the building. However, the lack of evidence of a working deficit in the city at this time makes this seem unjustified.

Despite the developers' promises to create 1,000 jobs for locals, the citizens of Lambeth, including their councillors and the district's MP, Florence Eshalomi, remain outraged.

Final Thoughts

The previous 15 years haven't been good for the city, with towers and other buildings springing up like mushrooms along the Thames. The shore is lined haphazardly with slabs and towers that lack any sort of architectural design or grouping. The situation will significantly worsen with its fresh addition. Every river view will be dominated by the enormous structure that will tower over the National Theater across from Somerset House.

The South Bank project has turned into a significant civic issue. Residents worry that the structure will darken the London sky and hinder daylight. Despite the promises to create jobs, it doesn't seem as though the locals will be satisfied by it. In fact, there is a labour shortage rather than a surplus in London. Michael Gove, minister of Housing and Communities, is currently their last resort. He had issued an Article 31 order that threatened to "call in" the programme in the month of May. A local authority is required to submit a project to the local government minister prior to moving forward with it according to the Article 31 order. With the publication of Article 31, the builders are now confronted with a new challenge.

What remains to be seen is how the government would react to the public outcry and complaints.