Will London's skyline become an eyesore? 250 high rises are planned for the capital - including the 'Can of Ham' and the 'Pinaccle'

Nearly 250 buildings of more than 20 storeys are planned for London with four fifths intended as high-rise flats

Will be concentrated in east and central London, which together account for 77 per cent of the new skyscrapers

City of London also has plans for large business high rises, including the Scalpel, the Pinnacle, and the Can of Ham

'Interestingly, not many of the buildings we are looking at will be that iconic,' Peter Murray, chairman of New London Architecture told MailOnline




At 365ft high, St Paul's Cathedral dominated central London's skyline for almost 300 years, until the development of Canary Wharf and, later, the Gherkin and the Shard.

And now Sir Christopher Wren's famous dome risks being obscured entirely, with almost 250 skyscrapers proposed, approved or already under construction in the capital.

An architectural think-tank has identified 236 buildings of more than 20 storeys that could be on the way, four fifths of them intended as high-rise blocks of flats.

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The buildings in the city of London are shown here with the ones in green currently in constructions, and the ones in orange being proposed by developers. These buildings are set to drastically reshape the skyline

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO LONDON'S SKYLINE?

Report has identified 236 buildings of more than 20 storeys that could be on the way, four fifths of them intended as high-rise blocks of flats. The report suggests that 33 of them between 40 and 49 floors, and 22 with 50 or more. The building boom is concentrated in London's centre and it’s hitherto dilapidated east, which together account for 77 per cent of the new skyscrapers. The city of London also has plans put for large business high rises, including the Scalpel, the Pinnacle, and the Can of Ham.

A further 18 will be offices, eight will be hotels, 13 are mixed use, and one is to be an educational institute, according to New London Architecture.

Work has already begun n on U.S. insurance firm WR Berkley's new European headquarters, dubbed the 'Scalpel'.



Other approved schemes including the so-called 'Can of Ham', and The Pinnacle, which has dubbed the 'Helter-Skelter, have been put on hold.

In the case of the Pinnacle, developers went back to the drawing board to try to make the scheme more cost efficient.



Nearly half have already been approved and about a fifth are now being built, according to a study by the think tank based on local authority figures, which have been seen by The Guardian.

And they are set to drastically reshape the London skyline, with 33 of them between 40 and 49 floors, and 22 with 50 or more.

The building boom is concentrated in London's centre and it’s hitherto dilapidated east, which together account for 77 per cent of the new skyscrapers.

Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Greenwich, Newham and Southwark will between them have 140 of the 236 towers.



A schematic showing London's 10 tallest building, including those built (blue), under construction (green) and approved (yellow). The Mayor's office is trying to strike a balance between protection of the city's historic skyline and the need to house a million more people







A day time shot of what the skyline in London would look like after the proposed high rises in the city are developed

Although the concept images were commissioned especially for the film, they bear a striking resemblance to the proposed plans unveiled this morning, pictured. An architectural think-tank has identified 236 buildings of more than 20 storeys in London that could be on the way, four fifths of them intended as high-rise blocks of flats. This concept shows a view of the proposed towers as seen along the Thames at night

LONDON'S 'CAN OF HAM'

A new skyscraper dubbed the ‘can of ham’ because of its distinctive shape is being planned to be built beside the Gherkin landmark in London. The 295ft (90m) tower would be made of glass and steel and lie in the shadow of the pickled cucumber-like structure in the heart of the City. The developer, Foggo Associates, says it would be a ‘stunning and spectacular’ addition to the capital’s skyline and would fit in well with tall buildings nearby. However, the approved scheme has currently been put on hold.



The survey was prompted by London Mayor Boris Johnson who, as he announced his revised housing strategy last year, vowed that it wouldn't mean towers 'popping up all over London,' said NLA director Peter Murray.

But, Mr Murray said, after looking at the planning data from various boroughs, his researchers had found that it would actually mean exactly that.

'The main thing is that London’s population is growing and we’ve got to house people somewhere,' Mr Murray told MailOnline.

'The general approach of the Mayor is we don’t want to be building new towns out in the South East in the way we did after the war, but we have to build for Londoners within London.'



Mr Murray added that he didn't believe the capital should host too many 'weird' buildings such as the 'Can of Ham' and the 'Scalpel'.

'Interestingly, not many of the buildings we are looking at will be that iconic,' Mr Murray said, adding that this is perhaps a good thing.



'We need "polite" buildings that are elegant and well-designed. So, when you’re in the City of London, despite all that change, it still feels like you’re in the City.'



The pressure to build upwards is coming from demands on the Greater London Assembly and local authorities to come up with more housing at a time of very high land prices.

A view of the London skyline under construction (left) and what it will look like when the Can of Ham (right) shown in the centre of the image and the Pinaccle behind it



The pressure to build upwards is coming from demands on the Greater London Assembly and local authorities to come up with more housing at a time of very high land prices. Pictured here is the west side of Tower Bridge showing London as it is now and back in the 19th Century

Foreign investors from east Asia, who are buying into London property in unprecedented numbers, are also having an effect as they are comfortable with tall buildings which have long been part of the urban landscape in that region.

The Mayor's office is trying to strike a balance between protection of the city's historic skyline and the need to house a million more people and create half-a-million new jobs, said sir Edward Lister, deputy mayor for planning.

'Tall buildings will not be appropriate in many locations,' Shaun Andrews, head of Investor and Developer planning from GL Hearn told MailOnline.

'However, we cannot freeze the skyline and suspend the capital in stasis. The strength of London is in its diversity and its ability to respond and adapt to opportunities originating from both home and abroad.'



From left to right: St Paul's Cathedral, Tower 42, and the Swiss Re Towe, also called the Gherkin. At 365ft high, St Paul's Cathedral dominated central London's skyline for almost 300 years