Beetham Tower, London

"Stamford House" redirects here. For the shopping mall in Singapore, see Stamford House, Singapore.

Beetham's Proposed Blackfriars Tower
General information
Status	Approved
Location	1 Blackfriars Road, London, England
Completed	4 years (not yet started)
Height
Roof	163 m (535 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	49
Floor area	96 flats + 261 hotel rooms
Design and construction
Architect	Ian Simpson Architects

The Beetham Tower, also known as 1 Blackfriars , Blackfriars Tower and the Beetham-Mirax Tower, is a skyscraper being planned for the junction of Blackfriars Road and Stamford Street at Bankside, London. The site was formerly occupied by the headquarters of Sainsbury's supermarket.^[1] In March 2008, the tower was called in for a Public Inquiry by Secretary of State Hazel Blears. After the inquiry Blears announced that she endorsed the recommendation of planning inspector John Gray that both schemes should be granted planning permission.^[2]

Planning and design

It was originally proposed at 220 metres (722 ft), with 68 storeys, but was eventually scaled down after concerns about its impact on the rest of London. A revised planning application for a 163 metres (535 ft), 49-storey tower was submitted on 24 November 2006. Although 57m shorter than before, this would still make it one of the tallest buildings in the city, similar in height to the Gherkin and Tower 42 in the City of London.

The architect is Ian Simpson, who has designed the 169 metres (554 ft) Hilton Tower in Manchester and the 122 metres (400 ft) Holloway Circus Tower in Birmingham.

The building will taper in at the bottom. This will provide uninterrupted views from Waterloo Bridge of the Shard to the east, which would be visible between it and the King's Reach Tower.

A public observation gallery will be situated on the upper two floors, offering panoramic views across the capital. This will be higher than the top of the nearby London Eye.

The building will feature a 5-star hotel and luxury apartments, each with their own internal conservatory space. However, a number of affordable homes will also be included as part of the scheme in a separate building on Rennie Street.

Construction

Despite a number of objections - from English Heritage, Royal Parks, Lambeth Council, Westminster City Council, local residents and ward councillors - the tower was given initial planning permission by Southwark Council on 24 July 2007.^[3][4] The Mayor of London was in favour, and Lambeth Council wanted £180,615 of Section 106 money in compensation. The Dubai-based Jumeirah hotel chain signed up as anchor tenants.

The project was placed into administration by RBS in October 2010 following a breakdown in relationships in the project partnership.^[5] The site was purchased by Berkeley Group’s St. George subsidiary in October 2011, leading to the renewed expectation that the tower will be built.^[6]

See also

• London Eye
• Southwark
• Tall buildings in London
• Beetham Tower (disambiguation), for other towers being constructed by the Beetham Organisation.

References

1. ^ "Beetham reveals detailed Blackfriars Road tower plans". London SE1. 2005-09-15. http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/1728. 
2. ^ "Blackfriars decision" (pdf). london-se1. 2009-03-25. http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/pdf/090326_blackfriarsdecision.pdf. 
3. ^ "Beetham London Recommended For Approval". SkyscraperNews.com. 2007-07-17. http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1012. 
4. ^ "Planning report" (pdf). Southwark. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/uploads/file_28476.pdf. 
5. ^ Skyscraper News, Beetham Race To Save Tower Plans, 2011-03-24
6. ^ "Berkeley Wins Beetham Boomerang Bid". SkyscraperNews.com. 2011-10-21. http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2954. 

External links

• The Beetham Organisation
• Financing: Beetham and Mirax joint venture
• Moscow-based Mirax swoops for 50% stake in Beetham’s £1bn Blackfriars tower
• Skyscrapernews: Beetham Tower