Campaign against Museum of London demolition to be heard at High Court

Plans to demolish the Museum of London and Bastion House to make way for the London Wall West scheme will be challenged at the High Court, following environmental concerns raised by campaign group Barbican Quarter Organisation.

The Barbican Quarter Organisation was granted permission to proceed with its judicial review claim, which questions whether plans to demolish the two 1970s buildings complied with environmental legislation and planning policy.

It also states that the Museum of London and Bastion House are safe for reuse and that their demolition could result in the release of tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro design set to replace museum

The London Wall West office development, designed by architecture studios Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Sheppard Robson, is planned for the edge of the Grade II-listed Barbican estate in London.

Its construction will involve demolishing the Museum of London and the Bastion House office block, which were originally designed by architecture studio Powell & Moya in the 1970s.

The project was given the go-ahead in April 2024 by the City of London Corporation, which is acting as project developer and approving authority.

Michael Gove, the UK's levelling up secretary at the time, subsequently issued an Article 31 order that blocked planning permission, but this was lifted the following month, allowing the City of London to formally approve the development in December.

The Barbican Quarter Organisation has now raised a judicial review claim, highlighting concerns that the City of London Corporation failed to act with impartiality and objectivity when granting the planning permission, which will be brought to the High Court.

It also claimed that the City of London failed to properly consider the reuse of the Museum of London and Bastion House before announcing their demolition.

"The City of London failed to follow their own policies"

"This is a crucial moment for residents and for everyone who cares about London's heritage and climate commitments," said a spokesperson at the Barbican Quarter Organisation.

"The City of London has recognised in its planning policies that it is no longer acceptable to treat buildings as disposable," added Ricardo Gama, partner at UK law firm Leigh Day, which represents the Barbican Quarter Organisation.

"Given the massive amounts of carbon needed to demolish and replace buildings, the age of single-use buildings is over," he continued.

"That is why our clients were surprised that, in their view, the City of London failed to follow their own policies in granting planning permission for a demolition and rebuild scheme instead of looking properly at a reuse and refurbishment scheme."

Originally built in 1977, the Museum of London closed to the public in December 2022 ahead of the building's relocation to a site in Smithfield market, designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan. It plans to reopen in this location in 2026.

Designed by Powell & Moya at the height of the studio's career, the museum has an angular concrete structure covered in white tiles, while the nearby Bastion House has concrete pillars topped with bronzed curtain wall facades.

Other buildings recently marked for demolition that have been featured on Dezeen include the University of Salford's Centenary Building, which won the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize in 1996, and the Olympic medal-winning Valhallabadet pool in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The top photo is by the Museum of London via Wikimedia Commons.

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