City Of London Council Leadership Pushes Ahead With Plans To Demolish The Museum Of London & Bastion House

Yesterday we received a copy of the email below about London Wall West sent by Chris Hayward, the policy chair (=leader of the council) of the City of London Corporation. The email was forwarded by a third party and so we have not been able to verify it – but we believe it to be genuine.

Essentially what the email says is that the local council making money for itself and the developer to which it sells the London Wall West site – with the planning permission it assumes will be granted – takes precedence over the interests of City residents and the environment.

It is difficult to interpret allowing the market to ‘optimize use of the buildings and determine the occupancy mix’ as meaning anything other than that the Museum of London building and Bastion House should be demolished and replaced by very tall office blocks to maximise financial returns on the site.

Email from Christopher Hayward to all members of the City of London Corporation sent on Wednesday 4 October 2023.

Planning Application Submission for London Wall West

Dear Members,

I write to inform all Members of the decision by your Investment and Policy and Resources Committees to reconfirm our decision to submit a planning application and associated listed building consent for redevelopment as landowner of London Wall West. The application includes the former Museum of London buildings and Bastion House (140-150 London Wall) at the London Wall West site.

The City Corporation is under a duty to achieve “best consideration” for the London Wall West site, not least because this property sits within the City Fund. This means that we, as a local authority, are a under legal obligation to gain the maximum financial return, as with all local authorities in a comparable situation. With this duty in mind, we are seeking to market and eventually sell the site with the benefit of planning. The planning application would deliver c.456,000 sq ft of vibrant, thriving, and inclusive spaces, a cultural programme and improved public space, footpaths and walkways. Our research indicates that there is significant demand for more office space in the Square Mile and we are confident that the development will bring added benefits to the local area.

In parallel, at my request, we listened to Members, residents, and businesses about a demolition planning application and reduced the scale of the proposed plan. We also completed a soft market testing exercise earlier on this year which sought to establish the market’s interest in re-use schemes for the site. This work will help to inform our marketing and sales process, when we intend to ask the market to formally come forward with bids for the site which could be on a redevelopment, reuse, or partial reuse basis. Ultimately, the City Corporation will not redevelop the site, but rather the market will optimize use of the buildings and determine the occupancy mix.

The submission to planning, does not preclude options for re-use. In effect, the decision by your P&R and Investment Committees, means that all options remain on the table.

We will continue to engage with you and our communities across the Square Mile to ensure the best outcome for this important location.

Best Wishes, Chris

Deputy Christopher M Hayward
Policy Chairman I Common Councilman for Broad Street Ward
City of London Corporation | Guildhall | Gresham Street | London EC2V 7HH
Executive Assistant: policychair@cityoflondon.gov.uk

The header shows Chris Hayward misusing his council office to promote his personal interests.