Barbican residents oppose 20‑storey office tower at One Silk Street

More than 1,000 objections have been lodged by residents of the Barbican Estate in London against a proposed 20‑storey office building at 1 Silk Street. The development, put forward by Lipton Rogers and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, would rise opposite the estate’s Silk Street entrance and is feared to steal light, obscure sightlines and compromise the post‑war heritage of the Grade II‑listed complex.

The Barbican, a 40‑acre, 2,060‑flat development built after World War II, was granted protected status in 2001. Residents’ group chair Jan‑Marc Petroschka said the tower “steals light” and is “overbearing”. Developers have trimmed three storeys from the original scheme, but opponents argue the revised design still looms over the estate. Stuart Lipton, partner at Lipton Rogers, countered that the building would provide needed Grade A office space and that “good architecture is good business”. The dispute highlights the tension between heritage conservation and new commercial growth in central London.