In a decision that is likely to be met with approval from many quarters, the Mayor has used his powers to stop plans for the second tallest building in Western Europe.

The so called ‘Tulip’ had been granted planning permission in April this year but that decision has been effectively overturned by the Mayor. The Mayor said that it ‘...would cause harm to the historic environment, the wider skyline and image of London...’

Whilst it might be easy to distinguish this as a one-off, given the extremely unusual nature of The Tulip, the Mayor’s decision will no doubt spark debate amongst developers as to his vision for the future of the London skyline. In times of economic uncertainty London must be seen as being open for business. Some would argue that the  continued growth of tall buildings in the capital is an important part of that message.