‘The Tulip’ has been cut down in its prime, thanks to the latest City Hall decision.
If you were excited to see The Tulip arrive on the London skyline, we have some bad news. On the other hand, if you were aghast at the thought of a 1000ft sperm cell towering above the capital, you’re probably thrilled at this: Sadiq Khan has officially rejected the planning application for the controversial skyscraper.
Arguing (via a spokesperson) that the skyscraper offered “very limited public benefit” and “would result in harm to London’s skyline and impact views of the nearby Tower of London World Heritage Site”, the project has now been nixed. Hopes were mixed for mayoral approval; rumblings of Khan’s reservations were widespread, even in spite of the fact that the building had been greenlit by the City of London and had artfully sidestepped the concerns of key heritage groups.
But, much like the ill-fated Garden Bridge, it’s not to be. Perhaps that’s wise, since within minutes of us posting the news on Facebook, you lot had alternately christened it “the dildo tower”, “the butt plug”, and “a giant sperm propelling itself out of the ground into the abyss” (my personal favourite). Kiss goodbye to rotating glass gondolas, a ‘classroom in the sky’, and eight floors of viewing platforms, because they’re now mere fantasy; winter came early for this Tulip.