'Accordion' in tune with Monument

Christopher Wren's Monument To The Great Fire Of London is to have a new neighbour.

Architect Ken Shuttleworth has obtained planning permission for a building resembling an accordion which will fold around the City square where the Monument has stood since 1677.

There will be a roof garden that will form a giant sundial, with Wren's 202ft column acting as the gnomon, the pillar which creates a shadow on the dial, indicating the time across the landscaping.

Mr Shuttleworth said he wanted to "reinstate a more coherent plan of the square as envisaged by Wren".

He added: "The building's pleated facades will provide a striking motif to frame and reflect the Monument."

The 10-storey building, being developed by Carlyle Group, will have a ground floor café with views of the Monument and 90,000 sq ft of offices.

The Grade I- listed Monument is undergoing a £4.5 million refit, which involves cleaning the stonework, regilding the orb, installing new lighting and improving the cage around the viewing platform.

The column stands 202ft from where the 1666 Great Fire started in a bakery.