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Great Portland Estates has said it is hoping for a decision on its revised plans for a scheme near London Bridge that was kicked into touch more than 18 months ago.

The then communities secretary Michael Gove turned down proposals by the developer to build towers of alternative heights at New City Court which has now been renamed St Thomas Yard.

The developer first lodged its 37-storey New City Court scheme, drawn up by AHMM, in 2018.

Concerns were raised about the height of that building so the same architect drew up a trimmed down 26-storey version which was submitted for planning in spring 2021.

But Southwark council failed to make a decision so GPE took both schemes to appeal with Gove rejecting the plans in September 2023.

New plans, drawn up by Orms, for a refurbishment and extension of the existing site were lodged at the end of last year with Southwark council.

These plans are for a 10-storey block, double the height of the existing building.

In its annual results this morning, GPE said: 鈥淥ur plan will increase the building to 188,800 sq ft of high quality, HQ offices, up from 98,000 sq ft today. We anticipate that the planning application will be approved by the end of the year.鈥�

>> See also: 鈥榃e listen and we build from there鈥� 鈥� Orms: designing architecture that responds to a changing world

But the government鈥檚 heritage adviser Historic England wrote to the council earlier this spring objecting to the fresh proposals.

It said Orms鈥� plan were a more 鈥渕odest scale of development than the previously proposed schemes for the site, and as such would no longer affect highly significant heritage sites in the wider vicinity such as the Tower of London鈥�.

However, it added: 鈥淭he scheme would still fail to respond to the character and appearance of the Borough High Street Conservation Area through its overbearing scale, massing and acontextual design.鈥�

Mace had been working on the original towers plan, which were understood to be worth around 拢200m, but the new work will go out to tender.

Firms that have been retained for the scheme include project manager Gardiner & Theobald, structural engineer AKT II and QS T&T Alinea.

Meanwhile, GPE said it expects to complete work on its 拢80m Minerva House scheme, being carried out by Multiplex, by the third quarter of 2026. And it added that its job at 2 Aldermanbury Square, off London Wall, will be finished by Bovis in the first quarter of next year.

Mace is on site with a 拢75m office block in a conservation area in the middle of London. The job at 180 Piccadilly, also known as French Railways House, is due to finish by the third quarter of 2026. Steel from the rebuilt 2 Aldermanbury Square is being reused at the job.

GPE chief executive Toby Courtauld said: 鈥淲e believe that many of the conditions necessary for a period of attractive growth in central London鈥檚 commercial property values are increasingly evident and we are well placed to prosper.鈥�