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A skyscraper which will be the tallest building in the City of London has been given planning approval. The Trellis will be officially known as 1 Undershaft - its address within the financial district. It will stand at over 300m tall, making it the second tallest building in Western Europe behind the Shard, which is a little over a kilometre away. 

Built on the site of the existing Aviva tower, the Trellis is expected to create 130,000 square metres of office space and 2,000 square metres of retail space, and will house 10,000 workers when fully utilised.

The planning committee responsible approved the development in a vote of 19 – 2 following amendments to the initial design which was slightly taller. Originally the building was to be the exact same height as the Shard and a slightly different shape (see original design at the bottom of the page), but due to concerns about its possible effect on London City Airport it was shortened by 4.7m.

Singapore-based Aroland Holdings commissioned the tower, a move which is being seen by many as an indicator that investors remain confident in London’s future as a global city following this year’s vote to leave the European Union. The approved design was delivered by architect Eric Parry who is also behind the new office development at 10 Fenchurch Avenue in the City of London.

With the Aviva tower yet to be demolished, this project is not expected to be completed until the mid 2020s. O’Neill & Brennan will of course be looking to provide our construction recruitment expertise in some capacity. 

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