22 Bishopsgate on the rise again

AXA IM – Real Assets has withdrawn its revised plan for 22 Bishopsgate and is set to push on with its previous consent. The revised plan, which cut three storeys and a stepped top from the design (image below), received planning permission in February, but has now been ditched. Just six months ago, planning documents submitted to the City of London said the revised plan was due to a “different economic climate”, and “changing workplace practices, new technology and differing occupation densities, which introduce the need for more flexible office accommodation.” The developer stated it was “a desire to move away from an iconic approach to architecture and construction, towards a quieter, calmer, more rational design.” However, it was the complexity of restrictions on construction activity over 1,000 ft, imposed by NATS, relating to the build, and the height of the crane to carry out the original 62 storey tower design, which also resulted in a rethink. Conditions in the original consent by the City of London required no construction work above a height of 126m (413ft), until a Radar Mitigation Scheme was submitted. That has been submitted, but not yet approved. In a statement AXA IM – Real Assets said: “Since receiving a planning consent from the City of London which gave us the option of developing a new flat-topped design for 22 Bishopsgate in light of NATS restrictions, we have continued on site building the original design and are now at level 24. Concurrently, we have thoroughly reviewed the delivery and construction methods, as well as the timings for delivery, of both options in consultation with all key stakeholders.” “Following this assessment and given that all the construction contracts are already in place for the original stepped-top design and we are currently building one floor a week, we have decided to continue with the original consent. We remain on schedule to complete construction in 2019 and are planning an official marketing launch over the summer.” The scheme will provide 1.275m sq ft of offices. Construction is on schedule and due to complete in 2019, with an official marketing launch planned for the summer. Timeline Pinnacle Application: December 2006 Permission: May 2007 Construction start: March 2009 Construction halted: December 2010 22 Bishopsgate (62 storeys) Application: July 2015 Permission: December 2015 Construction restart: June 2016 Construction complete: 2019 22 Bishopsgate (revised 59 storeys) Application: November 2016 Permission: February 2017 Withdrawn: April 2017 To send feedback e-mail paul.wellman@egi.co.uk or tweet @paulwellman eg or @estatesgazette