‘Jewel-like’ skyscraper to be built in Square Mile
Construction of a “jewel-like” skyscraper has been approved in the Square Mile and it will be the latest megastructure to be built in the area.
The City of London Corporation has approved the demolition of a vacant office block known as Fountain House at 130 Fenchurch Street, followed by the construction of two new towers, one of 31 storeys and the other of 34 storeys.
The new glass and steel building, planned to be completed in 2030, will feature an external garden terrace on the 17th floor, a public rooftop gallery and new food and beverage venues on the 20th floor. It will also include 58,000 square meters of office space.
“Walkie Talkie” will be adjacent to the Scalpel and Leadenhall “Cheese Grater” skyscrapers.
Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transport Committee, said: “130 Fenchurch reflects our ambition to unlock growth: a stunning new workplace in the heart of the City, with routes and views that open the City to everyone.
“This is multi-building, part of a pattern of proactive planning decisions that are helping to shape a future-ready Square Mile: greener, denser, more dynamic and firmly aligned with the UK’s growth mission.
“Planning can be an engine of growth and 130 Fenchurch proves this. We deliver jobs, public space and best-in-class offices at the scale the UK economy needs.”
The new building is being designed by WilkinsonEyre, the architects responsible for the Battersea Power Station redevelopment project.
The Fountain House was built between 1954 and 1958, after World War II. It was one of the first high-rise office buildings built in the City of London after the Blitz.
It was built on a former bomb site and designed by architects WH Rogers and Sir Howard Robertson.
Over the summer, Canary Wharf announced proposals to build a floating, Olympic-sized swimming pool in the heart of the financial district.
The natural waterslide is planned to be built by Sea Lanes, the team behind the UK’s first National Open Water Swimming Center in Brighton, at Eden Dock opposite the main entrance to Canary Wharf Underground station.
The complex will also include saunas, a community clubhouse, fitness classes and restaurants. The complex is planned to open in summer 2026, subject to planning permission.
The six-lane lido, fully lifeguarded, will have a fixed depth of 1.3 meters and float on naturally filtered docks, disconnected from the River Thames.
