Future of London skyscraper set to rival The Shard in doubt as Heathrow Airport warns it could baffle pilots
THE FUTURE of a skyscraper that is set to rival The Shard has been thrown into doubt over concerns it could baffle pilots.
The new tower would be one of Europe’s tallest buildings standing at a whopping 309.6m tall.
Officially named 1 Undershaft, it could see St Helen’s tower demolished to make way for the 309.6m and 73-storey behemoth in the City.
The locale is in the eastern cluster of skyscrapers meaning it will be neighbours with the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater.
Construction was expected to start in 2026 and be completed in 2030.
But now Heathrow Airport has raised concerns over the plans – which could interfere with radar communications, reports MailOnline.
Heathrow’s Air Traffic Control (NATS) has opposed its construction with claims it will disrupt the H10 radar relied on to detect and measure the positions of aircrafts.
In a letter to the City of London Corporation to seek reassurances from developers, the airport has called for an assessment to be carried out on the impact of the radar.
They wrote: “The proposed development has been examined from an aerodrome safeguarding perspective and could conflict with safeguarding criteria.”
They say that no development can take place until they can ensure “that the proposed development will have no impact on the SSR Radar at Heathrow Airport.”
The airport added that they “will need to object to these proposals unless the above-mentioned conditions are applied to any planning permission.”
Under current plans the building is set to have multiple roof gardens, retail spaces, and restaurants.
The Museum of London is also set to play a role by curating the educational spaces in the building.
Plans say the public viewing gallery and education space will be on the top two levels 72 and 73 of the site, or 282 and 286m in the air.
Levels two to seven will be flexible working spaces similar to a business dojo or a WeWork.
Office floors will then climb from level 14 to level 71 with amenity spaces at levels 30 and 48.
Eric Parry Architects, who have designed the plans for Singapore firm Aroland Holdings, says the skyscraper will have the highest occupied floor height in the UK.
More than 170,000 tonnes of concrete, 12,200 tonnes of steel, and 2,000 tonnes of glass will be used to build the tower.
The 10 tallest buildings in London
- The Shard – 309.6m
- 22 Bishopsgate – 278m
- One Canada Suqare – 235m
- Landmark Pinnacle – 233m
- Heron Tower – 230m
- 122 Leadenhall – 225m
- Newfoundland – 220m
- Crustal Palace Transmitter – 219m
- Aspen at Consort Place – 216m
- South Quay Plaza 1 – 215m
When construction begins there is the possibility that Roman ruins or a medieval churchyard will be dug up as the site is within the old city walls, the plans say.
A London City Airport spokesperson said: “The aviation regulator, the CAA, has a tall buildings policy in place that, for the safety of the London airspace, all new development proposals in London must adhere to.”
A spokesperson for 1 Undershaft said: “We are aware of the consultation comments received from Heathrow Airport which request for conditions to be included in any Planning Permission.
“A specialist aviation consultant has engaged with all relevant aviation authorities and operators during the preparation of the application and developed the conditions with the parties.
“These are very normal conditions for a development of this type and scale (similar to the completed 22 Bishopsgate, for example) and had been anticipated.”