Shard ‘will define London’…just don’t expect to park there

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

The former Mayor of London says the tallest building in Western Europe, the Shard – which officially opens in London today – will define the capital.

The Shard, which stands at 1,016-ft high in St Thomas Street in Southwark, has been funded by the State of Qatar. A major fanfare including laser shows are expected today during its official inauguration.

Ken Livingstone – who was the Mayor of London when the tower got final approval – said it was London’s equivalent to New York’s Empire State Building.

He told the BBC: “This came to me in 2000. I thought initially it was a really beautiful building. It will define London and it is our equivalent to the Empire State Building. It brought 10,000 jobs to one of the most run-down areas of London, but unlike a lot of the other tall buildings, Londoners will have access to this one.”

The 310m-high tower – which will lose its record as the tallest in Western Europe later this year when another tower in Moscow (classed as Europe) will overtake it – will cost a family around £90 to get to the top.

It also has just 48 car parking spaces.

“You need new development in central London but the streets are full,” said Livingstone.  “Therefore new buildings like this have to be designed on the assumption that people are going to come to them by public transport. A lot of those spaces are actually disabled spaces.”

The Renzo-Piano designed tower was described as a “beautiful object” by David Burney, commissioner of New York City’s department of Design and Construction.

He said: “I think Renzo Piano's design is very elegant. As an object it's quite lovely. If I have a concern it's how the building meets the ground, what it does to enliven the streets. For me, the jury is still out on that part."

The tower - which will have 10 penthouses in the sky, reported to cost up to £50m each – has also come in for controversy over the way it disturbs a protected view of London.

The building’s critics say it ruins the view of London which comes from Hampstead Heath down over St Pauls.