Skyscraper as tall as The Shard given go-ahead for London’s Square Mile

A newly approved skyscraper will join The Shard as the UK’s tallest building after the City of London approved its planning permission.

Named as 1 Undershaft, it will stand at 309.6 metres tall, matching the Shard’s height to the centimetre.

Located on St Helen’s Square on the site of the former insurer Aviva headquarters, it will be just across the River Thames from the iconic London landmark and will boast Europe’s highest publicly accessible viewing gallery.

Upon completion early next decade, it will provide almost 13 per cent of the office space required in the City up until 2040.

It will also have a free-to-access public viewing point on the 11th floor, as well as a “classroom in the sky” on its top floors that will be curated by the London museum, for tourists and visitors to learn about the city.

On its street level, a 12.5 metre public screen and stage will show concerts, talks, sporting events and productions which will be accessible to the public.

The consent from the City of London Corporation comes almost a decade after plans for the site first emerged and five years after the first application was submitted.

Developers Stanhope will lead the construction, after it was designed by Eric Parry Architects on behalf of Singapore’s Aroland Holdings.

Shravan Joshi, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee, Shravan Joshi, said: “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.

“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.

“I’m particularly pleased that we will be able to work with the London Museum to open the uppermost floors of 1 Undershaft to schoolchildren and local communities, a classroom in the sky, developing another inclusive, unique visitor destination that makes the Square Mile the best place to live, work, play and invest.”

David Camp, CEO, Stanhope said: “We welcome the Committee’s decision to approve the revised proposals at 1 Undershaft, which will deliver almost 13 per cent of the office space required in the City of London to 2040.

“We are proud of the significant contribution these plans will make to the City as a world-leading destination, including through delivering one of the highest amounts of commercial floorspace of any building in London.”