The Tulip was a 305-metre

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

proposed to be constructed on 20 Bury Street in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. The Tulip is a proposal by

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian billionaire Jacob Safra, of the Safra Group, the owner of the adjacent

Gherkin A pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States, Canada and Australia and a gherkin ( ) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, ...

building. The proposal was rejected on 11 November 2021.

History

Initial application and opposition

The Tulip was designed by

Foster + Partners Foster and Partners (also Foster + Partners) is a British international architecture firm with its headquarters in London, England. It was founded in 1967 by British architect and designer Norman Foster. The firm has been involved in the design ...

, Britain's largest architectural practice, with the intention of complementing The Gherkin, which the company also designed. The tower was to be a visitor attraction without any office space. If built, the Tulip would have been London's second tallest building. Work was planned to have started as early as 2020 with a scheduled completion date of 2025. On 19 November 2018, an application for the building was submitted to the

planning authority. It faced opposition from

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

and Historic Places, who argued that the tower would impact views of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, and the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the Metonymy, metonym City Hall, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved Regions of England, regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political ...

expressed "significant concerns" about the design.

London City Airport London City Airport is an international airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, Borough of Newham, about east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres ...

officials insisted that National Air Traffic Services (NATS) be consulted regarding the impact rotating gondolas would have on its radar systems; NATS responded that "it was satisfied that no impact from either the building or the moving gondolas is anticipated." London Mayor

Sadiq Khan Sir Sadiq Aman Khan (, ; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting (UK Parliament constituency), Tooting ...

opposed its construction, saying that the tower breaches the London Plan by restricting free entry to the publicly-accessible viewing platform. He also said that the protected views of the Tower of London would be harmed. Despite this opposition, a survey completed by 1,011 Londoners in December 2018 suggested that two-thirds believed the tower would be "an attractive addition to the London skyline".

Rejection and revived plans

After the city's planning and transportation committee approved the scheme on 2 April 2019, Khan refused planning permission for the tower on 15 July. Historic England welcomed the rejection, saying in a statement: "We have long been of the opinion that this is the wrong building in the wrong place. We advised that its height and design – essentially a tall lift shaft with a bulge on top – would cause permanent and irreversible damage to the setting of the Tower of London, and in turn, the image and identity of the capital." In October 2021, in a change of events, UK housing secretary

Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove, Baron Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician and journalist who served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet positions under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rish ...

was expected to approve the construction of the Tulip, which would overrule Khan's previous decision. The government backed the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

, which originally approved the building and promoted it as "an important role in further realising a vision for the

Square Mile The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is equa ...

as a vibrant 24/7 world-class destination." However, Gove finally rejected the proposal on 11 November 2021.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Proposed skyscrapers in London