15 June 2011
City of London welcomes decision not to list Broadgate
Commenting on reports that Jeremy Hunt has rejected English
Heritage's recommendation that the Broadgate Estate receive a grade
II* listing, the City of London Corporation's Policy Chairman
said:
"The City of London Corporation welcomes the Secretary of
State’s decision to overturn English Heritage’s recommendation that
the Broadgate Estate receive a grade II* listing.
"The City of London was opposed to this listing from the start,
not only on architectural grounds but also because of the impact it
would have had on the City’s international competitiveness -
especially the impact it would have had on the development of UBS’
new European HQ at 5 Broadgate.
"The City is – and always has been – first and foremost a place
of business and it must be allowed to adapt to meet the long-term
business needs of current and potential future occupiers.
"Time and again, the Government has emphasised the importance of
demonstrating that the UK is open for business; by refusing to list
Broadgate, Jeremy Hunt has sent a positive message to the
international business community.
"Post Big Bang, Broadgate helped facilitate the growth of the
Square Mile into the world’s leading financial centre and, as a
result of today’s decision, I have no doubt that it will play a
leading role in helping the City to retain this status for many
years to come."
Ends
James Abbott
Media Officer
City of London Corporation
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
Tel 020 7332 1754
Mob 07831 543 188
Email
james.abbott@cityoflondon.gov.uk