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Two more towers on horizon
Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard9 Oct 2008
These new images show what two of London's latest tower block landmarks could look like if planners give them the green light.
The first is a multicoloured block named Angel House - which has been nicknamed The Number One because of its shape.
It is planned for the eastern side of the Isle of Dogs, and would be the area's first skyscraper.
The second looms over existing buildings around Victoria station and is shaped like a ship's prow. It is the centrepiece of a multi-million-pound redevelopment planned for the area around the station.
The Prow is 90 metres, the tallest in the scheme, and was designed by architects Kohn Pederson Fox.
It is one of six proposed blocks that would stand opposite the station on a
2.5-hectare site bounded by Bressenden Place, Victoria Street and Buckingham Palace Road.
The blocks will contain shops, offices, flats - less than a quarter of them designated as affordable housing - and leisure facilities with plans for public spaces, gardens and a library.
The development, known as VTI2 - Victoria Transport Interchange, is the second application submitted by Land Securities. A previous plan for two towers was thrown out after Westminster council said they would block views from Buckingham Palace.
Land Securities built Cardinal Place, the development on the corner of Bressenden Place, and is due to submit proposals for two other sites on Victoria Street.
Colette O'Shea, head of development for Land Securities' London portfolio, said: "This is an important scheme for both Victoria and London.
Land Securities has taken a significant step towards regenerating this part of Victoria and securing its future as a thriving commercial and residential hub."
Angel House is intended to replace a modern office block on the eastern end of Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs.
The 43-storey, 137-metre tower features brightly coloured glass panels, a roof garden and a health club in the cantilevered overhang, which architects Jacobs Webber hope will distinguish it from all the rectangular towers in Docklands.
Plans for the mixed-use development were submitted to Tower Hamlets council last month but a decision is not expected imminently.
Affordable housing is likely to be contained in an 11-storey block next door.
Reader views (1)
Great - yet another 'affordable housing' block that will end up being a ghetto.
- Daniel, London, 10/10/2008 11:52
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