Historic England has told a planning examination that Tower of London development harm is a live and serious risk, calling for tighter controls on the City Cluster that it says will cause ‘serious harm’ to the site’s Outstanding Universal Value as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In its submission to the City Plan 2040 examination in public, the government’s heritage watchdog argued that the ‘form, scale, and location’ of development in the City of London will, without modification, cause irreversible harm to heritage of global importance. Outstanding Universal Value is the term UNESCO applies to cultural and natural heritage so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries, carrying significance for present and future generations of all humanity.
Clear sky and a deferential skyline
Historic England’s position is precise. It is calling for an ‘uninterrupted gap of clear sky’ between the Tower and the bulk of the City Cluster, and argues that any new tall buildings in that cluster should ‘lean away’ from the Tower of London to make them ‘more deferential’ to the site, which was built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s.
A Historic England spokesperson set out the stakes plainly: ‘Reducing the potential for harm is of vital importance to the conservation of the World Heritage Site and, we believe, critical to minimising the potential for the Tower of London to be included on the List of World Heritage in Danger.’ Inscription on that list would represent a reputational damage to the United Kingdom’s stewardship of a globally significant asset.
Heritage charity SAVE has aligned itself with those concerns. Director Henrietta Billings said it was right that ‘the City’s heritage and tall buildings policies are robustly scrutinised and tested,’ and the charity added that it does ‘not consider that the multiple heritage harms identified throughout consultation on the City Plan have been meaningfully or convincingly addressed.’
Corporation pushes back on Tower of London development harm constraints
The City of London Corporation contests the scale of Historic England’s proposed restrictions with considerable force. The planning authority for the Square Mile has claimed that Historic England’s plans could lead to the loss of up to 92,900m² in new development space, a figure substantially higher than a previous estimate of nearly 32,500m². The corporation describes this as having ‘severe consequences’ for its ability to meet its development requirements. At issue is the loss of higher-up floorspace in office blocks, which commands greater value for developers.
Tom Sleigh, chair of the City of London Planning and Transportation Committee, framed the dispute in terms of national economic priorities: ‘The government has said it wants good growth in every postcode. The City’s postcodes are the most economically productive in the country. To harm their growth without good reason, at a time of national economic urgency, would be like entering a race with your shoelaces tied together.’
The Corporation had previously said in June that it ‘strongly disagreed’ with housing minister Matthew Pennycook’s decision to order planning inspectors to re-examine the City Plan 2040 on the Tower of London question, describing further hearings as ‘unnecessary’. Pennycook had ordered the re-examination to ensure City Plan 2040 protects the Tower of London from ‘unsuitable or harmful’ development, balanced against ‘economic growth’.
What happens next
The hearing itself reflects the weight of the dispute. Additional sessions were programmed for 2 and 3 September 2026, held at the Guildhall, Basinghall Street, extending the examination to give all parties the opportunity to test their positions fully.
Following those sessions, inspectors from the Planning Inspectorate are expected to make a final decision, which will then go to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for sign-off. The outcome will determine not only the trajectory of the City Cluster’s skyline, but also whether the Tower of London’s UNESCO status remains secure from the threat of the World Heritage in Danger list.
