There's Centre Point, a pop era concrete beehive buzzing above busy Oxford Street. A mile or so west from Centre Point is the Park Lane Hilton, waving the flag for late 1950s kitsch high above Hyde Park. Looking south, there's Vicker's Tower, all stainless steel and genteel curves sprouting above Tate Britain. None, to date, inspires. And now we are about to see London overlooked by a fresh sprouting of towers.
Business is keen.
Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, is on their side. The latter's London advisory group supports the development of Heron Tower even while its main body, under Neil Cousins, wants the skyscraper proposal called in for discussion by the Department of the Environment. Heron Tower is meant to be part of a cluster of office towers orbiting Tower 42, formerly the NatWest Tower. Clusters of city office blocks are in vogue. Not only do they form a powerful economic hub, but they also help keep dense property development contained within specific areas of cities rather than spread through them, as happened in the heyday of Euston and Centre Point towers.