Government intervenes in draft local plan over UNESCO world heritage site concerns

In a letter sent on Friday (26 June), Matthew Pennycook directed the Planning Inspectorate not to publish its report on the draft local plan and to consider recommendations from Heritage England regarding the document's approach to tall buildings.

The corporation has been working on its City Plan 2024 since 2016. The document sets out the corporation's approach to new development over the next two and a half decades, including policy that sets limits on the size and placement of skyscrapers within the Square Mile.

However, a June 2025 statement of common ground between Historic England and the Corporation highlighted the charity's concerns about the policy on views of the Tower of London, which borders the local plan’s area.

The charity’s proposed revisions would lead to a loss of potential additional floorspace capacity in the square mile of around 32,000sqm (NIA), according to the statement.

Pennycook has since intervened following advance sight of the inspectorate's report following the main modifications consultation on the City Plan.

In his letter, he wrote: "It was apparent to me from that report that you made commendable efforts throughout the examination to assess the heritage impacts of the City Plan’s proposals.

"However, given the Tower of London’s unquestionable importance as an internationally renowned World Heritage site, I consider that further scrutiny of the issue through the examination of potential alternative approaches is needed.

"My aim here is to seek reassurance that the City Plan does everything it can to protect the Tower adequately against the risk of unsuitable or harmful development whilst not unduly restricting economic growth."

He directed the Planning Inspectorate to consider the alternative proposal for the tall buildings contours proposed by Historic England, and to specifically assess the economic and heritage impacts of that proposal in contrast to the provisions on the economic and heritage impacts of the tall buildings' contours currently in the City Plan.

He also ordered inspectors to consider which of the two proposals strikes the most appropriate balance between protecting heritage assets and not unduly restricting economic growth.

The inspectorate should then hold a further hearing session or sessions to allow the parties that made representations on heritage and tall buildings policies to appear and be heard, the letter adds.

The Corporation has hit out against the intervention, stating that there is "no need to reopen" a question that was already scrutinised at examination hearings over a year ago.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee, Tom Sleigh, said: “This is unnecessary and anti-growth. The issue was examined in full more than a year ago. The Inspectors heard it, and the Government's own letter does not call into question the soundness of the Plan. To send a complete, ready-to-adopt plan back for more hearings on a settled point is the wrong call, and the cost will be missed economic growth. It beggars belief.

“City Plan 2040 is the framework investors and businesses commit to. Every month of delay is a month that certainty is missing, and schemes that were ready to proceed, with the investment behind them, are put at risk. London and the UK need this Plan adopted. This was avoidable, it is wrong, and it should be put right quickly."

Commenting on the news, a spokesperson for Historic England said the organisation would support the inspectors and the City of London Corporation to address the Minister’s instructions "as a matter of urgency".

Adam Carey