Pickles Takes Taste to Tower Conserve

05 June 2014 | Updated 01 January 1970

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has now given the OK to a massive development - eight buildings in total - on London's Southbank which will surround the existing Shell Tower. Pickles had previously 'called in' the project over conservation fears.

ThisWeekinFM recently reported the growing number of planning consents awaiting approval on the south side of the Thames amid fears the area could become saturated with highrise buildings - developments range from offices and flats to mixed use.

This development had already been given planning application approval to Braeburn Estates last year by the local authority, Lambeth and by mayor Boris Johnson. The build investment will come from a joint venture between Canary Wharf Group and Qatari Diar.

The1.45million.sq.ft mixed use scheme, which has been masterplanned by Squire and Partners, will transform the1960s office site ,providing new offices for Shell and other corporate organisations as well as hundreds of new homes and new retail outlets. As mentioned, the 27 storey Tower will remain as a centrepiece.

Squire & Partners’ Final Masterplan

The Final Masterplan has evolved through a process of consultation and dialogue between the design team, the developer team, the public, and key stakeholders since November 2011.

The Final Masterplan comprises the following key elements:

Retention of the existing Shell Tower
Demolition of adjoining Hungerford, York and Chicheley wings
Mixed-use development comprising offices, residential, retail, leisure/community uses located within eight new buildings and basement
Up to 798 homes including affordable housing 76,043sq.m of office floorspace including a new headquarters building for Shell
Up to 5,957sq.m of retail floorspace
Up to 2,557sq.m of community/leisure floorspace
Reconfiguration of existing basement to incorporate parking, servicing, plant and associated infrastructure
Provision of new public realm and landscaping within the development, including: new public square incorporating water feature; additional tree planting; new pedestrian through routes, including additional routes between York Road and Belvedere Road
Creation of a shared surface treatment on Belvedere Road, improvements to Chicheley Street including new landscaping and street widening, new crossings provided on York Road