Crunch time for 'shard of glass'

The future of London Bridge Tower, otherwise known as the "shard of glass", is to be decided by Southwark planning councillors tonight.

The 1,016-foot tower, which if built will be the tallest in Europe, has received the backing of the borough's planning officers, who have recommended approval.

It is the most controversial, as well as the tallest, skyscraper proposed in London, and if approved it will encourage other would-be tower builders across the capital. At stake is the question of whether welldesigned towers can be built in sensitive locations.

The project has been backed by Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Government's design watchdog, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, which says "it would clearly move forward the architecture of London's tall buildings into the 21st century". The project is opposed by English Heritage, which criticises its effect on the setting of the Tower of London, and of views from Parliament Hill in Hampstead, where it appears behind the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.

The developer behind the tower is Irvine Sellar, who originally made his fortune with Carnaby Street clothes' shops in the Sixties. It is designed by celebrated Italian architect Renzo Piano, who is working with London architects Broadway Malyan.

Mr Piano, who co-designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris with Richard Rogers, has said that the tower will not be "arrogant, intrusive or oppressive". "It will be very transparent."