London skyscraper same height as The Shard approved

The City of London Corporation has today (Friday) green-lit a 74-storey office tower within the Square Mile, known as 1 Undershaft.  

Standing 309.6 metres high when built, it is set to become the ‘tallest tower in the City of London’. 

The mega-structure, designed by Eric Parry Architects, will be built between the Gherkin and the Leadenhall building. 

“Proposals for the site revise the previously consented scheme to better respond to post-pandemic office needs,” said the City Corporation. 

1 Undershaft will reach as high as Western Europe’s tallest building, The Shard, which also stands 309.6 metres tall, and contribute to the City’s target of delivering 1.2 million sqm of new office space by 2040. 

According to property consultant Knight Frank, availability in newly constructed office buildings has fallen to 0.5 per cent in the City of London, causing prime rents in the area to rise 16 per cent over the past 12 months. 

1 Undershaft features: 

• 2,500 sqm ‘public podium garden’, 42 metres above street level 

• food, drink, retail and cultural attractions across levels 10 to 12 

• 154,156 sqm of Grade A office space 

A free public area and children’s education space spanning 1,000 sqm will be built at levels 72 and 73, in partnership with the London Museum. 

The ground level public realm will be transformed from St Mary Axe to parts of Leadenhall Street into an accessible step-free area, with new greening and a large digital screen. 

“1 Undershaft is a truly remarkable building that will not only help to deliver on the demands for economic growth, through the high-quality office space it offers, but also contribute to the City’s growing cultural offer and tourist appeal,” said Shravan Joshi, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee. 

“As another, much needed office development gets approved in the City of London, it speaks to the confidence that global investors have in the London real estate market and the UK economy more widely.” 

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