Mayor approves Columbus Tower plans
by Pete Hayman | 09 Oct 2009
A new 192-bedroom hotel is to be included as part of a major mixed-use development in London's Docklands after plans for the complex were given the green light by mayor Boris Johnson.
Tower Hamlets council had originally refused planning permission for the 63-storey Columbus Tower proposals, but the plans were called in after the mayor exercised special powers to decide the fate of the scheme. In addition to the hotel, developer Commercial Estates Group has also included 2,731sq m (29,396sq ft) of leisure space in the plans, as well as 30,871sq m (332,293sq ft) of office space and 1,246sq m (13,412sq ft) of Winter Gardens and internal public circulation.
Plans for the 244.5m (802ft)-high tower, which has been designed by Mark Weintraub Architecture & Design and is set to be built at the western end of the North Dock at West India Quay, were met with local opposition due to the potential impact on nearby listed buildings and a conservation area. However, planning permission was approved in March 2005 for a tower on the North Dock site, and Johnson believes that the scheme will help the capital's economy. It is also hoped that the project will provide funding for the Crossrail initiative.
Johnson said: "As well as being suited to the Canary Wharf district with its distinctive tall buildings, the overall size of the development means that it will deliver a huge contribution to the cost of Crossrail, which is central to the continued success and prosperity of both Canary Wharf and the entire capital. "Considerable sums will also be invested to bring lasting benefits to the local community and therefore I have no doubt that this development must be allowed to go ahead."
Nick Lee of Commercial Estates Group added: "We are delighted that the mayor has considered the applications and decided to grant conditional planning permission and conservation area consent for Columbus Tower. "We look forward to working closely with the GLA and London Borough of Tower Hamlets as the scheme progresses."
A new 192-bedroom hotel is to be included as part of a major mixed-use development in London's Docklands after plans for the complex were given the green light by mayor Boris Johnson. Tower Hamlets council had originally refused planning permission for the 63-storey Columbus Tower proposals, but the plans were called in after the mayor exercised special powers to decide the fate of the scheme. In addition to the hotel,
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