The City of London Corporation has published new AI images that show the future skyline of the Square Mile, predicting what it will look like in 2030.
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The new images show several major developments which have been approved or r"esolved to approve" by the City Corporation over the past 12 months. Let’s take a look at some of the notable inclusions:
1 Undershaft
1 Undershaft is set to be the same height as London’s tallest building, The Shard. The 74-storey tower will be a commercial development with office space and a sunken courtyard. The top floors will be dedicated to a public viewing gallery for the Museum of London, with access for members of the public via the lower ground floor.
50 Fenchurch Street
50 Fenchurch Street, situated on an island site bounded by Fenchurch Street, Mincing Lane, Dunster Court, and Mark Lane, will provide over 62,000 sqm of flexible office space and 3,000 sqm of new public space.
The scheme will improve public access to the interior of the medieval Tower of All Hallows Staining and a new tower will provide a 360-degree “public realm experience.”
55 Bishopsgate
55 Bishopsgate is a proposed skyscraper of 285 metres tall and 800,000 sq ft of workspace across 60 floors. It’s also planned to be one of the first all-electric tall buildings in the UK.
City of London Corporation Reports ‘Demand for Office Space'
The City Corporation is negotiating development proposals that would provide over 500,000 sqm of office space, equivalent to roughly 70 football pitches. They claim that demand for high-quality office space remains high, as estimates based on GLA data show that jobs in the City of London should grow by a further 85,000, up to 2040. Arup and Knight Frank report that approximately 1.2m sqm of extra office space will be needed in the city by 2040 to accommodate this.
Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, Shravan Joshi, said: “These new CGI images clearly illustrate the ever-changing nature of London's incredible skyline. It demonstrates that the City office is here to stay, and that the Square Mile's real estate sector is robust and thriving, despite wider economic concerns.
“Through our flagship ‘Destination City’ policy, we are creating a culturally vibrant, inclusive and welcoming City, enabled in part by these tall towers which help accommodate the hospitality, leisure, social and cultural destinations that are flocking to the City.
“The City Corporation’s strong performance this year is underpinned by the Built Environment team’s efforts to de-risk many of the variables associated with real estate investment. This includes providing clear policy directives, working closely with stakeholders and undertaking transparent consultation on schemes.”
Picture: a CGI showing what the City of London's Skyline might look like by 2030. Image Credit: City of London Corporation
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 07 November 2023
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