The Tulip was a 305-metre

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

proposed to be constructed on 20 Bury Street in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. The Tulip is a proposal by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian billionaire Jacob Safra, of the

Safra Group The J. Safra Group is an international network of companies controlled by the Safra family, comprising banking and financial institutions and industrial operations. It is present in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, ...

, the owner of the adjacent

30 St Mary Axe 30 St Mary Axe (previously known as the Swiss Re Building and informally known as the Gherkin) is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. ...

, informally known as the

Gherkin A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or ...

. The proposal was rejected on 11 November 2021.

History

Initial application and opposition

The Tulip was designed by Foster + Partners, Britain's largest architectural practice, with the intention of complementing the Gherkin, which the company also designed. The tower was to be a visitor attraction without any office space. If built, the Tulip would have been London's second tallest building. Work was planned to have started as early as 2020 with a scheduled completion date of 2025. On 19 November 2018, an application for the building was submitted to the

planning authority. It faced opposition from

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

and Historic Places, who argued that the tower would impact views of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, and the Greater London Authority expressed "significant concerns" about the design.

London City Airport London City Airport is a regional airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, approximately east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the twin centres of London's financial ...

officials insisted that

National Air Traffic Services NATS Holdings, formerly National Air Traffic Services and commonly referred to as NATS, is the main air navigation service provider in the United Kingdom. It inherited the traditions of UK air traffic control, which (founded over Croydon Air ...

(NATS) be consulted regarding the impact rotating gondolas would have on its radar systems; NATS responded that "it was satisfied that no impact from either the building or the moving gondolas is anticipated." London Mayor

Sadiq Khan Sadiq Aman Khan (; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's sof ...

opposed its construction, saying that the tower breaches the London Plan by restricting free entry to the publicly-accessible viewing platform. He also said that the protected views of the Tower of London would be harmed. Despite this opposition, a survey completed by 1,011 Londoners in December 2018 suggested that two-thirds believed the tower would be "an attractive addition to the London skyline".

Rejection and revived plans

After the city's planning and transportation committee approved the scheme on 2 April 2019, Khan refused planning permission for the tower on 15 July. Historic England welcomed the rejection, saying in a statement: "We have long been of the opinion that this is the wrong building in the wrong place. We advised that its height and design – essentially a tall lift shaft with a bulge on top – would cause permanent and irreversible damage to the setting of the Tower of London, and in turn, the image and identity of the capital." In October 2021, in a change of events, UK housing secretary Michael Gove was expected to approve the construction of the Tulip, which would overrule Khan's previous decision. The government backed the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

, which originally approved the building and promoted it as "an important role in further realising a vision for the

Square Mile The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an ar ...

as a vibrant 24/7 world-class destination." However, Gove finally rejected the proposal on 11 November 2021.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Proposed buildings and structures in London