Planners at the east London authority had recommended refusal for the 17-storey office-led scheme on the City fringe site between Whitechapel High Street and Commercial Road. The proposal was a redesign of an earlier, lower scheme for the same 0.67ha plot in the Whitechapel High Street Conservation Area, which was rejected in 2022.The boroughs officers had said that the latest applications benefits would not outweigh the harm to designated heritage assets, adding that it did not represent high quality or place-sensitive design by virtue of its layout, scale, bulk and height, appearance and architectural features.They also feared the 82.5m-tall scheme which went against the councils development plan would not respect or integrate positively with the finer-grained, low to medium-rise context of the site and would have adverse effects on existing residents and the learning environment at Canon Barnett Primary School.AdvertisementHowever, following a site visit, members of the councils strategic development committee unanimously voted last night (15 January) that they were minded to approve the application, subject to agreed conditions.Councillors said that the scheme would more effectively use the site in an area which already has a lot of tall buildings around it and would remove an existing car park, in turn reducing anti-social behaviour.In 2022 councillors had turned down a previous application featuring a 14-storey block because they had concerns over the schemes height, the demolition of heritage assets, its daylight and sunlight effects on neighbours, and the harm to the setting of the nearby Charles Harrison Townsend-designed Grade II*-listed Whitechapel Gallery.Refused 2022 scheme (left); latest 'minded to approve' scheme (right)Foster + Partners returned last year with a fresh application for the same developer, South Street Asset Management, working with architect Haverstock, which is overseeing the rejig of Canon Barnett Primary School within the development plot.Although the latest scheme is now three storeys taller and has a larger footprint, it involves less demolition, steps back at its edges and would retain, rather than remove, the frontage at 2-4 Commercial Street. The Edwardian faade at 102-105 Whitechapel High Street would be kept, as before.Advertisement The 2024 scheme promises to create 3,260 jobs, provide incubator spaces for small and medium-sized businesses and includes a relocated and expanded playground for the primary school.But the changes did not allay the fears of either heritage campaigners or Historic England, and Tower Hamlets planning officers are also unconvinced.The scheme has also prompted 294 objections.Speaking before last night's meeting SAVE Britains Heritage conservation officer Lydia Franklin said that an office block towering 17 storeys above its neighbours is not what this area needs adding that a building of this scale would tear through the conservation area, which was created to draw a clear line between the bristling towers of the City fringe and the very different character of the historic East End.Historic England had said it could not support the plans, claiming the height and massing would starkly contrast with the human scale of the surrounding buildings. It said the robust Victorian commercial character of the retained faade of 2-4 Commercial Street would be significantly undermined by the overbearing presence of the 18-storey building immediately behind and partly cantilevering over the frontage.Foster + Partners, Haverstock and South Street Asset Management have been contacted for comment.