London's Tallest Building in Jeopardy Over Daylight Row

An increasingly desperate "fight for light" in central London is threatening to kill off a £1 billion plan for the City's tallest ever skyscraper.

The developers behind the 62-storey building have suggested they may have to abandon their plans because of the risk of court action from the owners of dozens of overshadowed buildings. The legal row is thought to be the largest of its kind in British legal history.

Property company Lipton Rogers is behind the plan for the 295-metre glass and steel structure at 22 Bishopgate, and the completed building would be three times the height of Big Ben.

Lipton Rogers is so concerned it has asked the City of London Corporation to use emergency "Section 237" planning powers to override the rights of other freeholders to block the scheme in the courts.

Section 237 of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act allows local authorities to take temporary ownership of a development and effectively forces objectors to accept compensation for loss of light rather than allow them to block the scheme altogether.

Clem Cecil of heritage group SAVE, said:

"There is a real danger that large areas of London are going to be in darkness a lot of the time. It is a real issue for people and should not be skirted around by the planning system."

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Mandy Peters

Litigation Solicitors