Legal challenge to Museum of London and Bastion House demolition plans

Barbican Quarter Organisation (BQO) has applied for permission for a judicial review of the City of London Corporation’s (CLC) decision to approve the demolition and re-development of the site that it owns, now known as London Wall West. 

Under the proposed development, the former Museum of London and Bastion House, situated at 140 and 150 London Wall, will be bulldozed and replaced with three new office buildings. 

In December 2024 notice was given that the CLC had formally approved the planning application for LWW, meaning the demolition and redevelopment of the site can now go ahead. 

Former communities secretary Michael Gove had previously issued an Article 31 Order in April 2024 effectively putting the plan on pause, before then announcing he would not call in the major redevelopment in May. 

Campaigners for environmentally and socially responsible decision making in planning decisions say questions need to be asked around how the decision to approve the planning application was reached and whether it was procedurally correct and in compliance with legislation and planning policy.  

The group also says demolition of these heritage buildings and the subsequent rebuild would unleash tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2, despite industry experts confirming the current buildings are safe and suitable for reuse. 

The grounds of the challenge are as follows: 

• CLC failed to comply with the 2017 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations - in respect of acting with impartiality and objectivity when granting planning permission to themselves. 
• CLC misunderstood and/or failed to apply a local planning policy which puts in place a presumption that buildings will be reused instead of demolished. 
• CLC failed to consider alternatives and/or failed to comply with the duty to make enquiries under Secretary of State for Education and Science v Tameside MBC [1977] AC 1014 – specifically in relation to the requirement for developers to avoid demolition through the reuse of existing buildings or their main structures. 
• CLC gave inadequate reasons for the benefits that it considered supported the grant of permission. 

The campaign group has instructed lawyers at law firm Leigh Day to file an application to challenge by way of judicial review City of London Corporation’s decision to approve the plans. They are represented by Ricardo Gama, environmental solicitor at Leigh Day. 

Barbican Quarter Action Chair, Averil Baldwin* said: 

“The Barbican community and many architectural, environmental and heritage experts have repeatedly asked for sustainable alternatives to demolition. It is devastating to see such disregard for our environment and for the irreplaceable heritage of the Barbican area. This legal challenge is about holding decision makers to account and ensuring that the future value of this world-renowned place is not sacrificed for short-term gains.”  

Ricardo Gama of Leigh Day said:  

“Our clients believe that we need to bring to an end the constant cycle of demolish and rebuild which planners and developers seem to be stuck in. The embodied carbon involved in building a new office building is not something we can afford when there is a refurbishment option. This legal challenge is about ensuring that the City of London’s own planning policies which are meant to address this issue are followed.” 

*Barbican Quarter Action is the campaigning arm of Barbican Quarter Organisation