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Fears over palace views put £2bn station plans on hold
PLANS for a £2 billion makeover of Victoria station have been sent back to the drawing board amid worries about the impact on views of Buckingham Palace.
Two proposed tower blocks would intrude on views of the Palace, Westminster planning chiefs have said.
Land Securities, the property company behind the scheme, has been told to cut the height of the £134 million skyscrapers by about 30 per cent.
The council wants the developer to reduce by at least six storeys the height of other offices and housing blocks earmarked for the development.
The plans involve rebuilding the Circle and District lines station, one of the most overcrowded stops on the network, and building a new bus terminal.
Mike Hussey, the main board director at Land Securities, responsible for the Victoria scheme, said he had ordered his planning team to “stand down”.
The company has spent £15 million on 50 advisers since meeting Westminster Council almost two years ago to agree a planning brief.
A preliminary planning briefing handed to the council before Thursday’s meeting noted five of the nine proposed buildings were “unacceptable”.
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