Planning granted for 32-storey City of London tower

A new tall building which promises to rejuvenate Leadenhall Market, create major new public spaces and showcase the City’s 2,000-year history has been given the green light.

The City of London Corporation’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee has approved plans for a 32-storey tower at 85 Gracechurch Street, creating over 27,000m² of new office space.

The plans, drawn up by architects Woods Bagot for developers the Hershten Group, will retain and restore the 1930s façade of the existing nine-storey building, with the new structure built behind.

The development will boast an imposing ground-floor public hall including food, retail and event spaces, reopening a historic pedestrian route between Gracechurch Street and Lime Street Passage and increasing footfall into the market.

It will also feature a fifth-floor heritage garden and free public exhibition celebrating the history of the site where once stood the Forum and Basilica, which was the heart of Roman London.

City of London Corporation Planning Applications Sub-Committee Chairman Shravan Joshi said: “Developments such as this are a vote of confidence in the City as a global business hub and will helps us meet the continued demand for high-quality office space in the Square Mile.

“This scheme sets a high bar for others to follow. It will create a major new public hall, a pedestrian route and a cultural space showcasing the rich history of this part of London, supporting our Destination City vision of the Square Mile as a seven-day-a-week visitor destination.

“We worked closely with Historic England to ensure preserving and showcasing the archaeology of the location.”