A planning application has been submitted for another skyscraper in the City as developers scramble to meet the demand for office space in the Square Mile.
The 34 storey building at 130 Fenchurch Street will have a distinctive “crown” design at its summit that will make it stand out from some of the other glass and steel structures around it.
It will replace Fountain House, London’s first New York style “podium and tower” development, which was built on a Second World War bomb site and completed in 1958.
However the 16 storey block has been largely empty since 2020 and will be completely demolished.
Refurbishment was considered but rejected as an option, according to planning documents.
The new scheme at 130 Fenchurch Street has been designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and and application follows two rounds of public consultation. The developer is CO-RE.
The new building will include 31 storeys of office space providing around around 600,000 sq ft of offices.
The City of London Corporation plans to deliver at least 1.2 million sq m of extra office floorspace by 2040 as demand currently outstrips supply, forcing rents upwards.
Levels 17 and 20 will provide public viewing galleries and cultural spaces within the building.
The scheme is being backed by Aviva Investors, which was behind a previous plan for a 17-storey tower drawn up by Farshid Moussavi Architecture. However, that mothballed more than five years ago.
Aviva Investors is also looking to carry out works to the surrounding area, including adding nearly 4,000 square feet of 'retail and hospitality facilities' plus pedestrian access between Cullum Street and Fen Court.
The application is expected to come before the City Corporation’s planning sub-committee later this year and, if passed, demolition will start in early 2026.
The new building will be 146 metres tall, making it the 12th loftiest in the City, although further completions over the coming years are likely to move it down the league table by the time occupiers move in.
Consultant Arup is acting as both MEP and structural engineer on the 146m tall tower.
If approved, demolition of the site’s current 16-storey 1950s building, Fountain House, will get underway in 2026 with piling work expected to start in autumn 2027.
Ben Littman, Head of Development, Real Estate, at Aviva Investors, said: "These proposals aim to deliver a showpiece tower in the Square Mile which can support the City of London's ambitious City Plan 2040, creating a truly flagship location with the potential to attract world-leading businesses.
“We believe our plans will provide a dynamic building which complements the surrounding area, whilst creating a scheme that helps the City get ready for the future by incorporating modern technologies and targeting best-in-class standards of energy efficiency."
