Historic England urges city plan tweak to protect Tower of London

The Tower of London is "at risk" of being added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage in Danger sites unless amendments are made to the City of London Corporation's draft local plan, experts have said.

Historic England, a government advisory body, said there was "serious concern" about the famous citadel due to the size of potential future skyscrapers in the east of the Square Mile.

It is seeking changes to the Corporation's draft City Plan 2040 over where new developments may be permitted near the Tower.

The Corporation has said the suggestion from Historic England would affect economic growth and make little difference to heritage protection.

The draft City Plan 2040 has been worked on for years. The Corporation has consistently said that more office space was needed to meet demand, and set a minimum target of an additional 1.2m sq ft by 2040.

In June housing minister Matthew Pennycook directed inspectors to halt the report's publication to consider Historic England's suggestion and to arrange further hearings to scrutinise the impacts on the Tower of London.

In a written statement, Historic England said its proposed changes would not prevent the City from achieving its office floorspace requirement.

The organisation argued that its position was "justified" and "the minimum response necessary" to protect the World Heritage Site.

The Corporation said in a statement that Historic England's proposed changes would "unduly restrict economic growth".

Chris Hayward, the Corporation's policy chairman and political head, told the inspectors that Pennycook's direction had already led to stalled schemes and affected investor confidence.

"We made no secret of our frustration at the delay," he said.

"Uncertainty in the planning system is a drag on economic growth, investment and infrastructure delivery. In the City, where schemes are complex, constrained and require significant upfront investment, that doubt is especially damaging."

Ben Du Feu, a barrister representing Historic England, said the proposed changes would result in "a more deferential relationship between the [Tower and the City Cluster]".

Melissa Hamnett, palaces and collections director at Historic Royal Palaces, backed the heritage body's position.

Representatives from Tower Hamlets Council said that, while Historic England's changes would reduce potential harm to the World Heritage Site, they believed the Corporation's proposal was sufficient when considering other safeguards in the draft Plan.

The inspectors are due to prepare a letter to the Corporation, to be signed by the housing minister, which will trigger the next stage of proceedings, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service .

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