Plans confirmed for London’s new 1008ft skyscraper set to equal The Shard
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A towering new 74-storey skyscraper the exact same height as The Shard has been given the go-ahead by the City of London. The high-rise tower will be 309.6 metres (1016ft) tall and join The Shard as the tallest building in the UK, as well as the tallest in Western Europe.
![[1 Undershaft]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_211406688-ce32.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Officially called 1 Undershaft, the mega-structure will host Europe’s highest publicly accessible viewing gallery, as well as a ‘classroom in the sky’ for children at levels 72 and 73. The new skyscraper will replace the existing 118 metre tall St Helen’s tower on St Helen’s Square and will provide almost 13 per cent of the office space required by the City by 2040, at more than 150,000 square metres.
![[1 Undershaft DBOX is a global marketing and communications agency specialising in property and architecture. From our studios in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, London, Budapest, Lviv and Hong Kong we have delivered highly successful campaigns and acquired valuable knowledge of HNWI and multi-lingual audiences throughout Europe, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia and the Americas.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_211406626-0c83.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It’s just one of nearly 600 new skyscrapers planned for the capital in the next decade, which could change London’s skyline forever. Approved close to a decade after plans for the project were first put forward, the City of London said 1 Undershaft will ‘help to deliver on the demands for economic growth’and ‘contribute to the City’s growing cultural offer and tourist appeal.’.
However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for1 Undershaft, as the proposals were in question over complaints it would block the sun and take up public space. Planners rejected the plans in July after neighbours and businesses said it would have a negative impact on public spaces – especially St Helen’s Square, where city workers gather to eat their lunch and chat.
Architect Kim Wilkie said of the square: ‘Historically, open space has been very limited in this tight urban grain, so the few places where sunlight actually reaches the ground, creating a comfortable place for people to gather and enjoy the public realm, are especially important.’.
