Tower Hamlets committee rejects 'bulky' Blackwall skyscraper plan

Plans for a pair of residential skyscraper at Blackwall have been rejected. SimpsonHaugh's hybrid planning application, backed by developer EID (General Partner)would have seen the demolition of two 1990s office blocks at the former East India Dock and their replacement by two towers, one of 36-storeys and the other of 30. The taller tower would provide 716 student homes while the other would have comprised 150 build to rent homes. The application also included outlines designs for a new data centre, as well as a building with flexible workspace, community space and possibly a swimming pool. The scheme was blocked by Tower Hamlet’s Strategic Development Committee, which voted five to two to reject the application – despite council officers’ recommendation to approve the scheme. Planners at Tower Hamlets Council had said the scheme ‘had the potential to knit the townscape together’ through improved public realm and pedestrian links. However, councillors disagreed, stating that the towers would not fit with the scale and character of the local area and would have a detrimental impact on the conservation area, which includes a Grade II-listed dock wall and the Grade II*-listed East India Dock House by the site.

Architects' Journal (20/10/2022)