SimpsonHaugh’s 40-storey tower in London’s Docklands approved

SimpsonHaugh has won planning approval for a 40-storey tower in London’s Docklands, replacing a much taller KPF-designed scheme rejected due to fears of ‘over-development’Developer Rockwell’s plans to redevelop Quay House in Canary Wharf, given the go-ahead by Tower Hamlets Council, include a 400-bedroom hotel and 279 serviced apartments.The plans involve demolition of the existing three-storey building on the site, which also extends beneath the Docklands Light Railway.The tower includes a podium at its base, and has been described by the applicant as having flush windows and polished concrete which ’mimics the smooth finish of a pebble’. The new proposal comes five years after KPF’s 68-storey scheme, backed by Investin Quay House, was refused, due to the council’s concerns that the building failed to integrate into the local area.According to documents sent to Tower Hamlets planners, the SimpsonHaugh design responds to the ’failures of the previous proposed development of Quay House’.The scheme also includes improvements to the nearby dockside area, including new leisure spaces and an ‘underline’ access route beneath the Docklands Light Railway and Admirals Way.Rockwell and Firethorn acquired the site for a reported £26 million last October.