New London landmarks remain empty

Many of London’s landmark buildings constructed over the last few years remain largely empty, throwing into doubt the completion of many other projects in the capital.

In the last few months, Europe’s tallest building, The Shard, has been launched to a glittering display of fireworks, TV coverage, and many column inches in the press. However, the stark reality of the project sees no financial tenants in place.

Much the same can be said of other major projects. Buildings that are still sitting partially or fully empty since their completion include Cannon Place, The Place and the Walbrook Building.

Many others across the city have been mothballed completely. These include 100 Bishopsgate, the Can of Ham, One Trinity, Principle Place and Wall Place.

The Pinnacle development has also been shelved. Set to be the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, and the second tallest in the country, the 288 metre tower build has continued to stall.

The latest projected resumption of the project is 2013. This will mean the site would have remained empty for more than 12 months. Over this time, the concrete pillar used to hang the concrete flooring has incurred a nickname.

‘The Stump’, as cityworkers now refer to it as, is certainly considerably less evocative than what developers hoped the building would represent.

Nevertheless, Peter Murray, from the architectural forum London’s Centre for the Built Environment, believes there is still reason to be optimistic, as the capital city has always recovered well from economic downturns throughout history.