At 50 floors, the St George Wharf Tower will be the tallest residential building in the UK, and the build on the south bank of the Thames by Vauxhall, central London is now nearing completion.
Sadly, the tower is already linked to two deaths after a helicopter crashed into the crane at the top of the construction in January 2013. Both the pilot and a pedestrian at street level lost their lives.
Gaining planning permission after considerable controversy, the development is certainly one that can be filed under “not for the likes of us,” with the exclusive apartments at the top going for sky high prices. if you’re rich enough, you can even have an entire floor to yourself.
The tower’s hoity-toity website boasts of offering an “extraordinary level of service is available to all residents,” with a dedicated concierge on hand to “manage your day-to-day requirements, from arranging a dinner party to acquiring tickets to the theatre or a sporting event.”
Which must be nice.
In a bid to promote its green credentials, there’s supposed to be some sort of ‘eco’ wind turbine stuck at the top of the tower, although excuse me if I remain supremely cynical about the usefulness of that one (see: the rarely spinning turbines of the Strata Tower, south London).
Read more on the official website.
Related posts:
A short walk from Vauxhall tube station across the Thames to Blackfriars Bridge, London
In photos: the unspeakable ugliness of Vauxhall’s St George Wharf riverside development and tower
St George Wharf Tower – soon to be the UK’s tallest residential building – rises in Vauxhall
St George Wharf Tower as seen from Brixton, south London
Walkie Talkie tower at 20 Fenchurch Street, City of London nears completion as work starts on Europe’s highest roof garden
St George Wharf Tower – the tallest residential building in the UK hits 50 floors
The Shard, London Bridge, nears completion
A walk along the Thames riverfront and beach by Vauxhall, south London
You probably shouldn’t ignore the affordable housing contribution that the developer is obliged to make under the Section 106 agreement with Lambeth Council. For details see page 6 of the following document:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/126002564/vauxhall-tower-report
I make it 157 new ‘dwellings’ split between socially rented and intermediate types. Rather better than nothing, surely?
Tragically, “better than nothing” is as good as it gets these days, even if “affordable” rent has become a fairly meaningless term.
It could be worse though: the developer of Sky Gardens in Wandsworth Road developer is currently trying to persuade Lambeth to rubber-stamp a reduction of affordable housing provision from 31% to ZERO. A total disgrace.
Yes I agree, these developers are all happily carving up London for themselves, so a ‘better class of person’, in the words of one jobsworth over in Southwark remarked!!!
We see enough of this in Shoreditch, it’s like a building site.
But what’s happening in the Elephant and Castle is truly horrific!
Quick question. Where are all the street cleaners, cooks, waiters, healthcare assistants, teaching assistants and so on going to live in 20 years time? The only options seem to be living with parents (if you are a native Londoner and that is an option) or house sharing. Fine for a few years, but it doesn’t give much long term security, especially if your parents rent.
Indeed, not well thought out at all, actually scrub that, it IS thought out but the profiteers/privateers don’t care, as long as they make a profit!
Are they expecting the workforce of London to live in shacks on the outskirts, I’m not completely joking…
I am a native Londoner, as was my Father and his Parents and his Parents and so on, breaks my heart to see this, it really does.