Rayner issued an Article 31 holding directive against the scheme last week (19 November) after opponents raised concerns regarding the neighbouring Bevis Marks Synagogue and nearby Tower of London.She will now decide whether or not to call in the application. The directive prevents the City of Londons planning committee from making a decision in the meantime. The AJ understands the committee had been due to consider the application on 13 December.Stiff + Trevillions Bury Street scheme is for a 43-storey tower at 31-34 Bury Street for developer BentallGreenOak and specialist office fund Welput. The site is close to Foster + Partners Gherkin.AdvertisementPlans were submitted in January following the rejection of earlier designs in 2021 for a 48-storey tower on the site. The Citys planning committee rejected the previous application by 14 votes to 7 amid concerns over the overbearing and overshadowing impact on the Bevis Marks Synagogue and views of the Tower of London.Despite the design update, Stiff + Trevillions updated scheme has received more than 1,300 comments of objection, with campaigners raising similar concerns to the original application.Historic England has said the current plans are worse than the earlier version of the scheme from a heritage perspective, while a rabbi warned that the planning process had caused significant stress to the Jewish community.Objectors include chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who said the proposed tower would reduce views from and significantly affect the natural light in Bevis Marks Synagogue, disrupting prayers and affecting the atmosphere inside.He added: The granting of permission to this proposal would therefore be a regrettable development with implications for rights of religious practice, precisely in the place where Jews first enjoyed these rights in England following the 17th-century resettlement. This would be a tragic irony.AdvertisementBevis Marks Synagogue rabbi Shalom Morris said he welcomed Rayner's intervention. He had previously said the planned tower puts at risk the core purpose of the Bevis Marks Synagogue as a fully functioning place of Jewish worship.He said: We welcome the intervention of the deputy prime minister on the threat to Bevis Marks Synagogue. The future of Bevis Marks Synagogue is now very much on the national agenda, as befits its Grade I-listed status and its historic role in British Jewry.Comments of objection to the scheme were also received from the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, former Cities of London and Westminster MP Nickie Aiken and former lord mayor of London, Michael Bear.Other consultees to object to the scheme include Historic Royal Palaces, the City of London Conservation Area Advisory Committee, Historic Buildings and Places, SAVE Britains Heritage, the Twentieth Century Society, the Victorian Society and the Georgian Group. Source:Stiff+TrevillionStiff+Trevillion's January 2024 Bury Street schemeThe surveyor to the fabric of St Pauls Cathedral, architect Oliver Caroe of Caroe Architecture, meanwhile expressed concern over the schemes impact on various heritage settings, and queried why an assessment of the towers damage to St Pauls had not been undertaken.Where the interest of St Pauls and those of Bevis Mark intersect is that this application before committee does not appear to be supported by sufficient or proportionate evidence and expertise in relation to the full and correct evaluation of the heritage context into which this major project protrudes, he said.SAVE said in a statement that the scheme had 'provoked widespread opposition and alarm', in response to Rayner's decision.The heritage group added: 'These highly controversial plans for a 43-storey tower right next to one of Europes most important religious and historic buildings have provoked widespread opposition and alarm.'Not only would the tower block out daylight and cast Bevis Marks synagogue into long shadows, but it would rip through this historic part of the city - only very recently designated a conservation area. It has triggered huge debate about how the City is protecting some of London's most precious buildings, and more widely its especially important conservation areas'.In response, a spokesperson for Welput echoed earlier comments to the AJ and said its latest scheme sought to maximise public benefits. The developer also said Stiff + Trevillion's design had been meaningfully reduced' as a result of the project team's 'respect' for the heritage of the site.They told the AJ: 'Welput issensitive to the concerns raised by Bevis Marks Synagogue and has commissioned many detailed reports throughout the consultation process to inform our application.''It is our steadfast commitment to maintaining an open and cooperative dialogue with all community stakeholders, including the Bevis Marks Synagogue, and to continue exploring constructive solutions that bring this exciting, community-driven project to fruition.'On the Article 31 direction, Welput said the decision was 'anticipated' and that it is 'ready to present the compelling attributes of our proposal to the Secretary of State as we have done with the Greater London Authority and The City of London Corporation.'No timeframe has been set for Rayners decision.