Brookfield Properties has secured planning consent for the redevelopment of 99 Bishopsgate in the City of London.
The scheme will deliver more than 1m sq ft of best-in-class office space, alongside more than 60,000 sq ft of public and cultural amenities, and extensive public realm enhancements, including a seven-day-a-week City Market.
A six-storey cultural building called Open Gate, which will provide performance, exhibition and studio spaces, will sit alongside the main 54-storey tower. Open Gate will be anchored by Intermission Youth, a dynamic theatre group that uses Shakespeare to empower underrepresented voices and foster inclusivity in the arts.
Designed by RSHP, the development prioritises adaptive reuse and will retain the existing foundations, which make up nearly 50% of the building’s mass, to reduce embodied carbon. Vertical gardens and expansive terrace spaces will enhance employee wellbeing and foster biodiversity, while urban greening initiatives at ground level will further enrich the visitor experience.
The existing building was designed by GMW Architects and completed in 1976. In 1993, the building was extensively damaged by an IRA bomb.
Dan Scanlon, president of Brookfield Properties, said: “We are delighted with today’s decision from the City of London to approve our plans for 99 Bishopsgate, affirming our continued commitment to invest and develop in the City. Our proposals for 99 Bishopsgate will be transformational, delivering a scheme of exceptional design quality which aptly combines best-in-class office space with newly created pedestrian routes and significant public and cultural amenity.
“As the demand for high quality commercial space intensifies, we look forward to delivering 1m sq ft of desirable, well-being focussed office space to support employment growth in London’s globally competitive financial district. We are also particularly pleased that our ongoing engagement with young creatives has culminated in a cultural offer that is unique in the City and will deliver wide-ranging benefits for diverse groups, helping to change perceptions and attract new audiences to the City.
“I would like to thank our expert professional team and the City’s design and planning officers for their collaboration and efforts to reach this important milestone, shaping a scheme which will transform this strategic site and showcase the ambitions and appeal of the City to all.”
Graham Stirk, senior design partner at RSHP, added: “99 Bishopsgate reimagines the northern gateway to London’s financial district, honouring its historic heritage and context. Building on our whole life and operational carbon assessments, retaining the piled raft foundation generates a series of architectural and engineering features that manifest themselves in the overall architectural composition and language of our proposals.
“The structure creates a simple, flexible office floorplate and provides a visual framework that allows the building to be legible when viewed from distance, and at pedestrian level. This defines a number of small-scale façade typologies that reflect the functional office and winter garden activities within.
“Terraces conceptually allow landscape to erode the structural framework creating a creating a visibly green building that defines the distinct character to the architecture. At ground level, 18m-high public arcades, a publicly accessible cultural building and a vibrant City Market are all provided within an enhanced step-free public realm, blending historical significance with sustainable, innovative design for a revitalised urban experience.”
Shravan Joshi, chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee, said: “A much-needed office development has been approved in the City of London and it speaks to the confidence that global investors have in the local real estate market, as well as the UK economy, more widely.
“The 99 Bishopsgate scheme will also give the Square Mile one of the largest public realm upgrades from a single planning application, in recent history, increasing the ‘walkability’ of the City, so that it becomes a safer and more pleasant place to travel through.”
