Council told developer to redesign New City Court plans in July amid concern over impact on listed buildings
Great Portland Estate’s redesign of a controversial office scheme next to the Shard has failed to convince Historic England to withdraw its objection ahead of a planning decision due tomorrow.
Councillors ordered the developer to redraw its long-delayed New City Court scheme in July after a decision was deferred due to concerns over the scheme’s impact on surrounding heritage buildings, including the grade II*-listed Guy’s Hospital.
But Historic England, a statutory consultee on the application, has said it “remains unable to support” the proposals and described the impact of GPE’s efforts to reduce the scheme’s heritage harm as “minimal”.
The development, designed by Orms, would consist of a 10-storey replacement of a 1980s office building and the refurbishment of a row of grade II-listed Georgian houses.
It is the latest version of a scheme which has been in planning limbo for at least four years, with original proposals for a 37-storey tower designed by AHMM submitted in 2018 later scaled back to 26 storeys due to heritage concerns.
Orms was appointed to design a smaller version of the scheme, submitted to Southwark council last year, after AHMM’s previous plans for the site were thrown out by former communities secretary Michael Gove in 2023.
The practice’s design amendments since the planning committee in July have set back the top two floors of the office scheme, cutting around 190sq m of floorspace, rearranged the core on the eastern side of the building and added a roof terrace.
The changes have sought to reduce the visual impact of the proposed building when viewed from the courtyard of Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas Street.
However, Historic England said the scheme would “appear largely the same” from other viewpoints and there would be “no change” to the heritage impact caused by the scheme elsewhere in the Borough High Street Conservation Area.
The heritage advisor said: “Overall, the scheme would still fail to respond to the character and appearance of the Borough High Street Conservation Area through its overbearing scale, massing, and acontextual design.
“It would therefore cause considerable harm to the conservation area and a number of its component listed buildings, particularly Guy’s Hospital. Therefore, Historic England remains unable to support these proposals.”
The group has urged GPE to make further amendments, including cutting two storeys off the office component’s eastern side and to incorporate a historic facade along King’s Head Yard into the scheme.
Southwark planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval ahead of tomorrow evening’s committee meeting, the second time they have backed the scheme despite objections from Historic England and local campaign groups.
Southwark council’s Conservation Area Advisory Group has also maintained its objection, called GPE’s changes “tokenistic” and failing to offer any “on balance” public benefit.
The plans had been on the verge of being rejected by Southwark’s planning committee in July, despite backing from planning officers, before committee chair Richard Livingstone opted to allow GPE to consider if there were “any changes that can be made”.
Mace had been working on the original towers plan, which were understood to be worth around £200m, but the new work will go out to tender.
Firms that have been retained for the scheme include project manager Gardiner & Theobald, structural engineer AKT II and QS T&T Alinea.
The team also includes MRG Studio as landscape architect, DP9 on planning, The Townscape Consultancy on heritage, Velocity on transport, GIA on daylight, Ashton Fire as fire engineer and Chapman BDSP as services engineer.
GPE and Orms have been contacted for comment.
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