Historic England urges city plan tweak to protect Tower of London

Experts have raised concerns that the Tower of London may be placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in danger unless significant revisions are made to the City of London Corporation’s draft local plan. Historic England, the government advisory agency, has expressed “serious concern” about the impact that tall buildings planned for the eastern part of the Square Mile could have on the historic fortress. Because of these worries, Historic England is calling for changes in the Corporation’s City Plan 2040 concerning where new developments might be allowed in the vicinity of the Tower.

The City of London Corporation has responded by arguing that adopting Historic England’s recommended changes would hamper economic growth and would not meaningfully improve heritage protection. The draft City Plan 2040 has been the focus of extensive effort over several years. The Corporation maintains that expanding office space is essential to meet future demand, setting a target of at least 1.2 million square feet of additional floorspace by 2040. In June, the housing minister took the unusual step of instructing inspectors to delay the report’s release and arrange further hearings in order to fully review Historic England’s proposals and their potential effects on the World Heritage Site.

Historic England has stated in a written submission that their suggested amendments would still allow the City to meet its office space goals. They emphasized that their recommendations are “justified” and represent the “minimum response necessary” to safeguard the integrity of the Tower. However, the City of London Corporation maintained that these proposed restrictions would “unduly” limit economic progress. Chris Hayward, the Corporation’s policy chairman, expressed frustration over the delay caused by the ministerial intervention, warning inspectors that the uncertainty is damaging investor confidence and slowing down infrastructure projects.

Advocates for the heritage site, including representatives from Historic England and Historic Royal Palaces, support the call for stronger protections, emphasizing the need for a more cautious approach to development near the Tower. Meanwhile, officials from Tower Hamlets Council believe that the Corporation’s draft plan, when combined with other protective measures, is sufficient to mitigate harm. The inspectors are expected to draft a formal letter to the Corporation, which will be endorsed by the housing minister and will initiate the next phase of the planning process

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