Michael Gove lays groundwork to block demolition of Museum of London

The Museum of London, which was completed 1976 to a design by architects Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya – Robert Evans/Alamy

Michael Gove has intervened to halt plans to redevelop the former Museum of London building after more than 800 local residents and campaigners lodged complaints.

The Housing Secretary acted after the City of London Corporation gave permission for the demolition of the museum and a next-door office block, Bastion House.

Yesterday, the corporation’s planning committee approved a new scheme, known as London Wall West, after three years of consultations.

But the plans are in limbo after the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issued a “holding direction” preventing the approval taking force.

A government source said that a decision to formally call in the planning application was still to be made.

Opponents of the scheme yesterday urged Mr Gove to take further action. Barbican Quarter Action said: “We hope that the Secretary of State will now move to call this application in. The City is both applicant and the local planning authority and as such this complex and contested scheme must be subject to the highest levels of scrutiny.”

The plans involve constructing 56,000 square metres of office space, which the corporation said would create up to 3,100 jobs. It will also include “flexible space for cultural use, an elevated public space with outstanding views including of St Pauls and public access to the remains of the Roman wall”.

The local authority has said it is “committed to being the long-term owners and stewards of this site”.

Shravan Joshi, the committee chairman, said: “Today’s resolution to grant permission for the London Wall West proposals brings us closer to our goal of meeting demand for 1.2m square metres of new office space by 2040, a figure backed by industry experts taking into account projected jobs growth and new working from home patterns.”

The site, designed by Powell & Moya and completed in 1976, is part of the 35-acre Barbican area of the City of London, celebrated for its Brutalist architecture.

Campaigners argue that the former museum is an important part of the City’s heritage and “part of the much-loved townscape of the Barbican”. Locals have said the existing buildings should be repurposed rather than demolished.

Mr Gove’s intervention comes amid mounting developer alarm over the Government’s attitude to new developments in the capital.

It comes after a High Court judge last month ruled that Mr Gove’s decision to block a multimillion-pound redevelopment of Marks & Spencer’s flagship store at Marble Arch was unlawful.

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles – and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.