Historic England urges city plan tweak to protect Tower of London

The Tower of London is “at risk” of being added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage in Danger, external sites unless amendments are made to the City of London Corporation’s draft local plan, experts have said.

Historic England, a government advisory body, said there was “serious concern” about the famous citadel due to the size of potential future skyscrapers in the east of the Square Mile.

It is seeking changes to the Corporation’s draft City Plan 2040 over where new developments may be permitted near the Tower.

The Corporation has said the suggestion from Historic England would affect economic growth and make little difference to heritage protection.

The draft City Plan 2040 has been worked on for years. The Corporation has consistently said that more office space was needed to meet demand, and set a minimum target of an additional 1.2m sq ft by 2040.

In June housing minister Matthew Pennycook directed inspectors to halt the report’s publication to consider Historic England’s suggestion and to arrange further hearings to scrutinise the impacts on the Tower of London.

In a written statement, Historic England said its proposed changes would not prevent the City from achieving its office floorspace requirement.

The organisation argued that its position was “justified” and “the minimum response necessary” to protect the World Heritage Site.