Sellar Property Group and Singapore’s Great Western Developments have unveiled development proposals for 31 London Street, the former Royal Mail sorting office next to Paddington Station.
The scheme has been designed by Shard architect Renzo Piano. The proposed tower at 31 London Street stands 224 metres high, with 65 storeys, making it one of the tallest in the country. The Shard is 309 metres and 87 storeys, while One Canada Square in Canary Wharf is 235 metres and the Cheesegrater in Leadenhall Street is 225 metres.
With the arrival of Crossrail in 2018, Paddington’s passenger growth is projected to raise the station from London’s eighth busiest station to its fourth busiest – comparable to Waterloo, Victoria, London Bridge and Liverpool Street.
Sellar Property Group, previously responsible for The Shard development, together with Renzo Piano Building Workshop have designed more than an acre of new urban public realm to complement Paddington Station. The proposed development is designed to improve connectivity for the Bakerloo line. The skyscraper, with open-air roof garden, is said to be “inspired by Kew Gardens and London’s garden squares”.
The developers claims that their plans for 31 London Street will bring £1bn of investment to the area, as well as more than 200 new homes and more than 150,000 square feet of new office space and 50,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and cafés.
Irvine Sellar, chairman of Sellar Property Group, said: “We believe this exciting proposal will tap into the potential of Paddington and will prove to be a major catalyst for the continuing enhancement of the area, especially Praed Street – in much the same way that The Shard did for London Bridge. This site shares much of the same DNA with its proximity to a major transport hub with tube, railway lines and bus routes, a neighbouring leading teaching hospital and the potential to provide much needed quality public realm.”
Renzo Piano added: “The creation of urban public realm has been at the forefront of our design. The current public realm in Paddington is poor, with congestion in and around the entrance to the Bakerloo line leading to frequent closures. This scheme looks to remedy those issues, while creating a wonderful sense of place which Paddington greatly needs.”
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