Prescott overrules inspector and local opinion to allow 50-storey tower block

5.48.29pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Apr 2005

From the Evening Standard

Secretary of State John Prescott has over-ruled an inspector's professional recommendation and allowed the 50-storey Vauxhall Tower to go ahead. The scheme had been rejected by the Council, local people and the local Lib Dems.

At the public inquiry into the application for the tower block on the Thames by Vauxhall tube, the inspector had agreed with Lambeth Council's position over the application for Vauxhall Towers and recommended that the appeal be dismissed.

In a motion at Council, Lambeth Liberal Democrats have also attacked the waste of £96,000 of public money by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who supported the developers' appeal. Thanks to Lambeth officers' work at the inquiry, however, there should be some more badly-needed affordable housing at the site.

Vauxhall Tower would be Britain's tallest residential building. Commenting on the issue in The Times, columnist Simon Jenkins wrote: 'At Vauxhall Mr Prescott has torn up any remaining skyline control in London simply, it seems, because a developer asked.'