The new communties secretary upsets heritage bodies by giving go-ahead to controversial City tower
The Walkie Talkie tower in London has been given the go-ahead by new communities secretary Hazel Blears.
The 37-storey skyscraper designed by Rafael Vi帽oly had been opposed by English Heritage, which argued that the building would spoil London鈥檚 skyline.
In September last year former Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly called in the design at 20 Fenchurch Street after UNESCO threatened to add the nearby Tower of London to the list of its threatened buildings.
Kelly wanted to look at 鈥渢he impact of the proposals on the skyline of the City of London, including views of St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral鈥�.
Former Riba president George Ferguson was one of those who criticised the Rafael Vinoly鈥檚 designs calling the tower a 鈥渃hild鈥檚 concept鈥�.
The 拢300m Land Securities project is due for completion in 2011.
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