Major City of London mixed-use scheme gets the green light

The City of London Corporation’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee has approved plans for the redevelopment of 1 Silk Street, delivering a part 16 and part 20-storey, mixed-use office-led scheme alongside improvements to the public spaces next to the Barbican.

The scheme will replace the existing 1980s office building with a high-quality, best-in-class, and sustainable development, providing approximately 86,000m² of Grade A office space, alongside new cultural, retail and community spaces.

The public realm improvements will include a new public plaza opposite the Barbican Centre entrance and improved pedestrian connections through the site.

Sustainability is central to the approved plans, with a substantial proportion of the existing structure retained to reduce embodied carbon alongside ambitious environmental performance targets, urban greening and improved biodiversity, contributing to the City Corporation’s wider net zero and climate resilience ambitions, with its fully funded Climate Action Strategy.

Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee, said: “The scheme that was approved by the committee was a stronger one than the early proposals, shaped by a long period of pre-application work and consultation with residents and statutory consultees.

“The daylight impact on Barbican homes and the way the building meets the street were both reworked along the way. What it now delivers is a much needed, high-quality workspace, with the retention of much of the existing structure rather than demolition.”