Whitechapel office tower plans set for third rejection

Malaysian company Alliance Property Asia’s plans for an office-led tower in Whitechapel are set to be rejected for a third time at a Tower Hamlets Council meeting on 15 January. The proposals would create a part-four, part-12, part-17-storey tower comprising 433,624 sq ft of office space and a 1,076 sq ft community hall at 101 Whitechapel High Street, E1. In doing so, a 5,382 sq ft annex would be demolished and a playground attached to the adjacent Canon Barnett Primary School would be relocated. Similar proposals for a tower on the site were previously rejected in 2018 and 2021, with the decision on the latter being described by then councillor Val Whitehead as “devastating” for the scheme. Planning officers have again recommended that the plans should be rejected. They noted that the proposals would adversely impact the school through issues such as loss of sunlight, overshadowing and overlooking, which would result in a loss of privacy within the school. Other reasons included issues with the building’s design and height, which would negatively impact the Whitechapel High Street Conservation Area, as well as the loss of retail and educational accommodation on the site. This week’s meeting comes after a decision on the proposals was deferred at a planning meeting on 9 December so as to arrange a site visit to put the issues with the proposals in context before issuing a rejection. Photo © Foster + Partners