Queen to keep her view
After an outcry from Londoners, plans to build two new skyscrapers close to Buckingham Palace have been scraped, or at least modified. The plan was to build a two 380ft towers just 50yards from the palace. This has been changed to a single tower of 240ft. If the new option is in anyway visible behind the palace from the Mall, it two should be scraped.
Unfortunately London has not learnt from the success of cities like St Petersburg which have not allowed any high rise buildings in the city centre to ensure that the flavour of the city is not altered. The Prince of Wales has been an outspoken critic of London's policy of allowing skyscrapers near historic buildings. In a recent example a building was approved which would appear behind St Paul's Cathedral, potentially ruining that view as well.
Another potential issue with building skyscrapers near Buckingham Palace is the reduction in the Queen's privacy. Over the past 50 years several buildings have been built overlooking the palace gardens and trees have had to be planted in order to give the Queen the ability to walk around unseen. She values her time with her corgis walking around the garden, which she does as often as she can.
Unfortunately it does not look like the building policies are going to change in the near future so London skylines could continue to be ruined for some time to come.
For more details see: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23437053-details/Majestic+views+from+Buckingham+Palace+saved/article.do.
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Filed under: Buckingham Palace