Tower build may cause 'total loss' of burial ground

Plans for a 46-storey building near The Gherkin will result in the "total loss" of a suspected 13th Century burial ground hidden under paving slabs, Historic England has said.

The organisation also said the proposals for 63 St Mary Axe in the City of London would affect the skyline of the Tower of London - a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Insurance firm Axa's real estate investment arm wants to demolish the existing office building and construct a bigger one in its place.

The developer has said the potential graveyard "has been paved over for decades" and the plans will "celebrate the space".

The site is where two churches St Augustine Papey and St Martin Outwich used to stand but it is unknown how much of the burial ground is intact as the land has not been fully evaluated by archaeologists.

Historic England said the development "may cause a level of harm that would not be outweighed by the heritage benefit of showcasing the wall".

It added: "There is also the potential for other remains to be present here which pre-date the burial ground, possibly to the Roman period, which cannot be identified or assessed without proper evaluation."

Historic England also said the proposal would harm the Tower of London site's "outstanding universal value and consequently harm its integrity".

Axa Real Estate Investment Managers (Axa Reim) submitted the application in February. The plans include a public park, an auditorium, food and drink outlets and the opening up part of the ancient Roman wall.

Axa Reim said its proposals "balance the need for office space with heritage and deliver extensive public benefits".

"The potential graveyard has been paved over for decades and under our proposals will be celebrated as part of a new public park with significant greening, the urban park also includes a currently buried section of London's Roman wall which we will unveil for the first time in centuries."

It added its application "fully aligns" with the council's City Plan which states the need for more office space in the City.

If approved, the new tower would be Axa Reim's third skyscraper in London either built or mid-construction in recent years, after 22 Bishopsgate and 50 Fenchurch Street.

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