Proposed 'erotic gherkin' riles some Londoners

LONDON (Reuters) -- A committee in London gave its blessing Tuesday to a skyscraper dubbed the "erotic gherkin," as foes vowed to continue their fight against architect Norman Foster's latest vision.

The planning committee of the Corporation of London recommended the proposed 41-story, cigar-shaped office block of glass designed by the British architect as the new headquarters for insurance company Swiss Re, on a site ravaged by an IRA bomb in 1992.

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The Corporation, which runs the financial "square mile" in central London, is expected to rubber-stamp the recommendation on July 20.

A final yes or no to the tower will then come from Secretary of State for the Environment John Prescott.

"Today's approval represents the most significant advancement to date in the planning process," said Kvaerner, the Anglo-Norwegian group that has been fighting for planning permission to build the block for 2 1/2 years.

The plan has fierce critics, notably the Baltic Exchange, the world's only shipping bourse.

Its old home, a turn-of-the-century building protected by heritage laws, still stands on the site, damaged by the bomb that killed three people. The building is not considered beyond repair.

Now based next door, the Exchange says Kvaerner promised to renovate the old building when it bought the site in 1995, but big business has pushed history aside in the pursuit of profit.

"We hope Prescott will call for a public enquiry," the Exchange's Chief Executive Jim Buckley told Reuters, "but there are some pretty powerful forces in play here."

"The Corporation just wants a huge building to rival Frankfurt."

He says the new building will be overbearing, ruin the view from nearby properties and compromise the ancient city's architectural and historical heritage.

London has long resisted the trend in other cities to allow widespread construction of very tall buildings, but there are signs planning authorities may be relenting.

The "gherkin," one of several headline-grabbing projects Foster & Partners are working on in the British capital, would be 180 meters tall -- falling just short of the nearby International Finance Centre, still commonly known as the NatWest Tower.

The only taller building in London is a 244-meter Canada Tower at Canary Wharf in the regenerated Docklands, east of the city -- although one businessman has suggested a 420-meter tower on the south side of the Thames.

"There is a greater climate now in London for tall buildings," said a Kvaerner spokesman. "This will be a landmark building in every sense of the word."

"The building now proposed will contribute positively to the environment, the skyline and the commercial life of London," Swiss Re said in a statement.

While fans say it will be a bold statement for a new millennium, critics say it will mar the look of London.

The project has been likened to an erotic gherkin, a cigar, a rocket, an upturned zeppelin and an artillery shell inflated to giant proportions.

Zurich reinsurer Swiss Re bought the Baltic Exchange site from Kvaerner in 1997 for some 70 million pounds ($106 million) subject to planning consent for the building which could cost several hundred million more to build.

Foster's most recent projects include the wobbly Millennium footbridge across the Thames in central London and a plan for a striking riverside home for the new city authority and mayor.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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