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Tower of London is 'in danger' says UN
Ellen Widdup, Evening Standard08.09.08
The UN has accused Britain of failing to protect the Palace of Westminster and Tower of London from skyscrapers and office blocks.
The landmarks are among seven heritage sites around the country which cultural agency Unesco says are in danger of being suffocated by new developments.
Ministers in London and Edinburgh have been told urgent action is needed.
A spokesman for Unesco's world heritage committee said it was particularly distressed about decisions to approve new tower blocks in the capital.
He said the planned 170m Beetham Tower in Southwark and a 144m tower at Doon Street would overshadow Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church.
The UN is also concerned that Renzo Piano's 66-story "Shard of Glass" at London Bridge will overshadow the Tower of London, which could be added to Unesco's "world heritage in danger" list next year.
Marcus Binney, chairman of Save Britain's Heritage, said: "Heritage has taken a back seat to Cool Britannia and encouraging everything modern."
Other threatened sites include the New and Old Towns in Edinburgh, the neolithic ruins at Skara Brae, Orkney, and Stonehenge. Koichiro Matsuura, Unesco's director general, said: "It is crucial that outstanding features are preserved."
Reader views (4)
Your choice but be aware that when you submit a property as a World Heritage Site you lose control and as such ownership to a mob of foreign bureaucrats. Bureaucrats that aren't responsible to the people of Britain. Didn't you fight a few wars to prevent that in the last century? The referred to properties are famous enough not to need the promotion such a designation would bring. It's a losing proposition.
- Warren, calgary, alberta
I am so sick of the build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody (banana) mentality of the boring old f**ts who make up the "old days are the good days" chattering classes. Mix up the really old and the really new - we live in the 21st century not the 12th for Pete's sake!
- Jeff, Hobart, Australia
I don't understand this at all. How is the Tower of London going to be affected by a tower which is the other side of the river and next to an already tall building (Guys Hospital)? Seems crazy that they have even come out with this! However its not April 1st so they must be serious about their concerns! Maybe they should take a look around London and realise that there are far more relevant things they should be campaigning against.
It seems incredibly arrogant of UNESCO to propose all these restrictions when London has always been a city that has prospered from change.
- Peter F, London
Yet more hysteria and paranoia from the heritage lobby. When will they learn to keep their noses out of the planning system? The Shard is an architectural masterpiece: it will do wonders for London's skyline, not to mention the enormous transport improvements and other regeneration it will bring in time for the Olympics in 2012. A lengthy public inquiry costing £10m to the taxpayer has already established that the impact on the Tower of London will be minimal.
- Will Fox, London
