City of London welcomes decision not to list Broadgate.
Commenting on reports that Jeremy Hunt has rejected English Heritage's recommendation that the Broadgate Estate receive a grade II* listing, the City of London Corporation's Policy Chairman said:
"The City of London Corporation welcomes the Secretary of State’s decision to overturn English Heritage’s recommendation that the Broadgate Estate receive a grade II* listing.
"The City of London was opposed to this listing from the start, not only on architectural grounds but also because of the impact it would have had on the City’s international competitiveness - especially the impact it would have had on the development of UBS’ new European HQ at 5 Broadgate.
"The City is – and always has been – first and foremost a place of business and it must be allowed to adapt to meet the long-term business needs of current and potential future occupiers.
"Time and again, the Government has emphasised the importance of demonstrating that the UK is open for business; by refusing to list Broadgate, Jeremy Hunt has sent a positive message to the international business community.
"Post Big Bang, Broadgate helped facilitate the growth of the Square Mile into the world’s leading financial centre and, as a result of today’s decision, I have no doubt that it will play a leading role in helping the City to retain this status for many years to come."
From cityoflondon.gov.uk