The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment has criticised the tower included in Railtrack's Paddington station redevelopment in London, even though 17 storeys have been trimmed from the design.

Earlier this month, architect Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners revised its masterplan for the scheme, reducing the centrepiece tower from 42 to 25 storeys.

But CABE suggested there was no need for the tower to be included at all. In a statement, CABE said: "Overall we felt that, while we were not opposed to a tall building in this development, we were not completely satisfied that the case for this particular tower had yet been made.

"We wonder what studies have been done into other options, including, perhaps, distributing office space more evenly by having the other buildings at a taller level."

  • CABE has announced 103 appointments to its design review committee, which includes architects, engineers, QSs and construction managers.