Controversial work to stack another 12 storeys on top of Finsbury Tower will start in April.
The block in Bunhill Row off Old Street already stands at 16 storeys but in April developer Finsbury Tower Estates was given permission to make it higher despite widespread opposition from heritage campaigners.
They argued the tower will literally overshadow historic places next door such as the Honourable Artillery Company grounds, Wesley’s Chapel, the Artillery Arms pub and the Bunhill Fields burial ground, home to the graves of William Blake and Daniel Defoe.
Islington planners dismissed their concerns, saying the tower would bring “real benefits” to the area, not least 25 affordable housing flats in a separate, smaller extension of the building.
Now the timetable for the project has been announced. Enabling work and demolition will start in April, with work on the residential block starting in September 2019 and ending in January 2021. The project will be finished completely a month later, should everything go smoothly.
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