City Approved to Build New Skyscrapers on the Eastern Edge of the Square Mile

The City of London has received government approval to build additional skyscrapers on the eastern boundary of the Square Mile, after the Planning Inspectorate ruled in favour of the City's revised height-limit plan. Historic England had warned that the new towers risked jeopardising the Tower of London's UNESCO World Heritage status by intruding on protected River Thames viewpoints. The Planning Inspectorate rejected that argument, stating it was "not persuaded" that Historic England's proposed height contours would deliver a meaningfully different heritage outcome. The City argued the project would deliver approximately one million square feet of new office space. Officials confirmed that "visual separation between the Tower and the City Cluster" would be maintained. Construction is planned over the next sixteen years. The Tower of London, built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, was once the tallest building in London before being dwarfed by more than 100 modern skyscrapers.