Deputy prime minister John Prescott has today announced that a planning inquiry is to be held into plans to build Europe's tallest building in London.

The 66-storey London Bridge Tower, known as the "Shard of Glass", would be 216 feet taller than Canary Wharf, currently Britain's tallest building.

Forum Response: English Heritage

Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, told ePolitix.com: "The London Bridge Tower would have put a spike through the heart of historic London destroying views of two of the nation's most loved buildings - the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral. If built it would be Europe's tallest building and London's greatest folly."

"We are delighted that the government has decided to call in the London Bridge Tower which, if built, would be Europe's tallest building dominating the whole of central London.

"There is a good deal of agreement among those responsible for London's future as to what is wanted; economic growth, new jobs, better transport. We want to regenerate the poorest boroughs and we want good new architecture. English Heritage is an active partner with the Mayor and the Boroughs in trying to achieve these objectives

"London's historic distinctiveness lies at the heart of its success. We are not a fossil city like Paris but one that has grown by respecting the best of our past. Nor are we, or should we be a New York, Tokyo or Frankfurt. We want London's developers to reinforce our distinction not to obliterate it. So we will continue to champion the historic buildings, areas and views that make London unique. Most Londoners support us in that."

Forum Response: Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

Paul Finch, deputy chairman of CABE, told ePolitix.com: "CABE supports the idea of a tower of this size, of this quality and on this site, but has a number of detailed comments concerning technical aspects of the design.

"For example, CABE is delighted to see the amount of public space which has been provided around the base of the tower. However, if it is to be a popular place for residents, workers and visitors to gather, it needs to be extremely well maintained. The beautifully designed canopies which criss-cross the area will be wonderful for pedestrians, but they will need regular cleaning if they are to serve their proper purpose.

"Responsibility for this potentially costly activity remains unclear at present. Although this point, and others we have made, may seem trivial, we are keen to raise concerns like this at an early stage so that every aspect of the design is considered properly before the building gets the go ahead."