Community
Relief for Bevis Marks as City of London rejects plans for nearby tower block
Historic shul argued that proposed development would cause it 'harm in so many ways'
October 5, 2021 13:54
Historic shul argued that proposed development would cause it 'harm in so many ways'
October 5, 2021 13:54City of London planners have rejected a proposal to build a 48-storey block next to the UK’s oldest continuously used synagogue, Bevis Marks.
Councillors voted by 14-7 today to refuse an application for the 25,460sqm of office space beside the Grade-I listed building, which recently celebrated its 320th year of regular services.
Developers had sought to build retail space, a “pocket park” and a pedestrian route on Bury Street as part of the application, which sparked more than 1,700 objections.
Bevis Marks’ Rabbi Shalom Morris told the meeting the shul could not “withstand any more tall buildings [next] to our own.
“If you approve this application today, a scheme that will knowingly cause harm in so many ways to Bevis Marks Synagogue, the only non-Christian house of worship in the City and the very monument to the City’s history of diversity, I don’t see how the City could continue to claim with a straight face that it stands for diversity.”
The historic shul - which is contesting separate plans to construct a 21-storey high rise on nearby Creechurch Lane - warned that the proposals would block out all sunlight over the heritage site for most of the day, making services almost impossible.
Objector Sarah Sackman claimed that “predicted daylight losses inside the synagogue are being understated”, adding that the proposal would add to the “degradation of the courtyard, reducing it to a functional entrance”.
But, citing “numerous” independent expert reviews, chief planning officer Gwyn Richards told the meeting there “were no planning grounds to refuse this application in terms of the impact on the synagogue”.
Daylight diminishment to the shul was “considered very minor and marginally noticeable”.
He said the proposed scheme “will deliver significant additional floor space to maintain the city’s international position and aid in post-Covid resurgence”.