Plans for a 20-storey office block in the City of London have 700 objections from residents, with one fearing he will “never be able to see the sky again” from his study.
The proposed development at 1 Silk Street — just metres from the Barbican Centre — is being promoted as a scheme that would open up a new public plaza at the culture complex’s entrance, currently hidden down a narrow side street off Beech Street.
The existing 1980s building, occupied by Magic Circle law firm Linklaters, would be demolished to make way for the new structure.
Developers argue the building draws on the Barbican’s architectural language, saying its use of concrete, horizontal lines and colour palette will “complement” the surrounding brutalist estate.
The plans also include a pedestrian arcade linking Silk Street and Milton Street, with the 90,650 sq m scheme spread across two blocks above ground-floor cultural and retail units.
But residents have mounted fierce opposition, warning the development would dominate the area, overshadow existing homes and undermine the character of one of London’s most significant architectural landmarks.
Locals have described the proposal as a “visual disaster looming over the iconic Barbican centre,” warning it will cause an “unacceptable loss of daylight” and “irreparably damage” the heritage and character of both the Barbican Estate and nearby Cromwell Tower.
They say the “domineering” building will diminish the internationally recognised estate, celebrated for its brutalist design and status as one of post-war Britain’s most ambitious urban projects.
Trevor Kavanagh, one of the residents directly affected, described the planned tower as a “monstrous sort of building” that lacks any “redeeming aesthetic features.”
Like other landmark City buildings such as the Gherkin or the Shard, the proposed tower has already earned a nickname among locals — “The Dump”.
Kavanagh said the moniker reflects how many residents feel about the plans, and he has even drawn a cartoon to illustrate their frustration.
He told the Standard: “It will take away natural light, not just from the back rooms but from the conservatory itself, which is historic in its own right. It’s the biggest outside Kew and it contains plants and specimens which are unique and endangered.”
Mr Kavanagh described the design of the office block as “three huge shipping containers piled higgled-piggledy on top of one another.”
“It’s big and totally dominates the site, including quite a lot of conservation area buildings dating back to Victorian and earlier times,” he added.
Mr Kavanagh said residents are not opposed to new office development but described the current design as insensitive and in need of revision.
The development managers behind the plans are Lipton Rogers Developments, the firm best known for 22 Bishopsgate, the City’s tallest skyscraper.
They are working on behalf of US investors LaSalle Investment Management to a design from architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
In the Design and Access statement, developers say the “ proposed development provides a robust architectural proposition that responds to its surrounding heritage assets and mediates the change in scale between the Barbican and the buildings of Chiswell Street.”
But residents disagree, arguing their concerns go beyond the building’s size to the Barbican’s unique status in Britain’s architectural and cultural history.
Queen Elizabeth II famously described the estate as “one of the wonders of the modern world” at its official opening in 1982, praising its scale, vision and creativity.
Her endorsement helped cement the once-controversial Brutalist landmark as a celebrated part of the national heritage, later leading to its listing in 2001.
Built on land devastated during the Blitz, the Barbican was conceived as a bold expression of post-war reconstruction—an ambitious social project created in the same era that saw the birth of the NHS and a drive to build a “land fit for heroes.”
It became a model of high-quality, mixed housing in the heart of the City, designed to accommodate the diverse needs of Londoners while integrating sensitively with its surroundings.
Today, the estate remains home to around half of the City of London’s residential population and houses institutions central to the nation’s cultural life: the Barbican Centre, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the London School for Girls.
Against this backdrop, residents argue that insensitive development risks eroding not just their daylight and privacy, but part of a post-war vision that helped define modern London.
In his statement on the planning application, Mr Kavanagh wrote: “I wish to register my objection to the planned redevelopment of 1 Silk Street.
“My home is directly opposite the site. Once built, it would have a serious impact, not least the obliteration of natural daylight, well above the 40% reduction threshold that you should be protecting us against. I use my bedroom as an office. My flat will be left in perpetual twilight.
“It will overshadow the iconic Barbican Arts centre, the Barbican Estate, its gardens and thousands of residents.
“The intimidating mass, two-thirds bigger than the existing building, is out of proportion with surrounding structures, including conservation areas. Its windows look into our bedrooms. Awnings protrude 1.5m into our space.
“Extra footfall will affect social amenities, turning a tranquil environment into a 24/7 night town with increased noise at street level.”
He added: “The project has yet to register with the public in the same way as The Shard, the Gherkin, The Cheesegrater or The Walkie-Talkie.
“Yet it is already acquiring its own unfortunate nickname, The Dump, which may well stick.”
Another resident of the Barbican Estate, Graham Pinkett-Jones, said he would “never be able to see the sky again” from his study if the plans went ahead.
“For me personally, I am concerned; the proposal will take 58% of the light to my office/study in Speed House, and 78% of the light to flats in Speed that have kitchens and dining rooms that will face the new proposed building.
“For what it is worth, we have architects who live in Speed that have looked into the options on the site. They suggest it is both perfectly feasible and possible to develop the site by retrofitting the current underpinning structure – with massive sustainability advantages, and to increase the amount of office floor space without anything like the proposed additional height.
“The proposal might make an overseas investment firm a fortune, but is it worth allowing such a proposal when, for meeting 1% of the City’s planning target, this will harm the homes and lives of so many Londoners, and cause such harm to the largest listed structure in the UK, the Barbican, as well as to the conservation areas that are next to the site?
“There are better ways to find an extra 1% - this site needs good architecture – not this monster.”
A spokesperson for One Silk Street said: “The City of London faces a clear and pressing need for high-quality office space, with the City of London Corporation identifying that 1.2 million sqm of additional office space is required by 2040 to meet this demand, and current vacancy rates for this type of office space at 1.4%.
“1 Silk Street directly responds to this demand by delivering modern, sustainable workspaces with large floorplates and of the highest quality in one of the world’s most competitive financial districts.
“The scheme also brings significant public benefit, including a new retail arcade, a vibrant new public plaza, shared-use community hall, and cultural spaces. Together, these elements will help ensure the City remains a dynamic, globally connected centre of activity and investment.”
