Richard Rogers' 'cheese grater' will go ahead after above-average results

British Land has confirmed it will press ahead with construction of Richard Rogers’ Leadenhall Building, also known as the ‘Cheese Grater’.

Planning permission was granted in 2004 but British Land were testing the climate for another large scale City project alongside its Broadgate Tower and 201 Bishopsgate developments.

But the developers’ above-average annual results seem to have given it confidence to invest in the £286m building.

The 47-storey building will have 612,000sq ft of office space and rise to 227m, which would make it the tallest building in the City were it to be completed before the Bishopsgate Tower (or “The Pinnacle”) which will be 288m tall, and The London Bridge Tower (“The Shard”) which will stand at 306m when finished.

The project is currently at the demolition stage, with completion forecast for 2011. Bovis Lend Lease has carried out the demolition work, and is expected to pick up the contract to build the tower.

It is affectionately known as the ‘cheese grater’ because of its slanting, wedge-shaped design.