Pictures: take your first look at new quirky 21-storey office block opposite the Barbican in City of London

One Silk Street, a 1980s building currently occupied by Magic Circle law firm Linklaters, is in the midst of its third round of public consultation. A planning application is expected to be submitted this spring.

Real estate company LaSalle and Lipton Rogers is looking to redevelop the site, next to the iconic popular arts centre, to deliver modern office space and a series of public realm improvements. The proposed building is also to be taller than the current building with sections that appear stacked on top of one another.

They claim the existing structure has a number of limitations such as low natural light and restricted floor to ceiling heights. Alterations planned at ground level include new eating and drinking areas and a public space at the entrance of the Barbican Centre.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has previously spoken with a group of Barbican residents who raised concerns about the plans. These included the decision to pursue demolition of most of the existing building rather than retrofit, and the impact on their homes, many of which are located just across the road.

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Alan Budgen, House Group Chair at Cromwell Tower, said representatives of the scheme were ‘quite surprised’ about the visibility of the estate from One Silk Street and vice versa. From one flat in Cromwell Tower, he said: “You could see a lawyer with his back to us working. With binoculars, you could actually read what was on the screen. It was that close.”

The current round of consultation is to run until February 24. A breakdown of the feedback received during the second round at the end of last year detailed how concerns about the height and the effects on daylight/sunlight were the most common recorded.

Mock-up images of what the proposal may look like have also been published, alongside some further details on key elements of the plan. More information is provided on the servicing, for example, with all vehicles to access the on-site delivery bay via Milton Street. No service vehicles will be permitted onto Silk Street.

A spokesperson for the One Silk Street project said: “Our proposals for One Silk Street aim to redevelop a building that is nearing the end of its lettable life. The proposals will deliver best-in-class commercial building space that supports the City of London’s City Plan 2040.

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“Following significant local engagement, we are pleased to present designs that will improve the surrounding public realm and environment through a combination of cultural, amenity and sustainable uses. We are working closely with neighbours and stakeholders to ensure this scheme delivers significant benefits, including contributing to the ongoing success of its near neighbour The Barbican Arts Centre.”

The live consultation can be viewed on the One Silk Street website here.