Murdoch plans twin towers for Wapping

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is planning to build his own "twin towers" on the site of his Wapping headquarters.

The buildings, which would stand 13 and 27 storeys high, have been welcomed by Mayor Ken Livingstone as helping to regenerate east London.

But with another skyscraper being proposed nearby by a separate developer, residents fear being swamped by offices and flats.

English Heritage is also opposed. While the Murdoch towers would not block protected views of St Paul's Cathedral, the heritage body is concerned about the impact on Tower Bridge.

The taller of the cylindrical structures, standing 400ft high with a sloping roof, would be made from glass and aluminium and be floodlit with "vibrant colour".

The application for the towers, designed by architect Sir Terry Farrell, claims that "the scheme should be a striking addition to the evening skyline of London".

It would be dwarfed by the 590ft "Gherkin" built for Swiss Re, but raises concerns about a swathe of tall buildings spreading east to the 770ft Canary Wharf Tower at Canada Square.

The offices are envisaged as the new headquarters of News International, which publishes The Sun, Times, Sunday Times and News of the World. But the proposal to Tower Hamlets council includes the option of leasing the buildings to another firm. A spokeswoman for News International said the plans were not linked to last week's announcement that the Wapping printing presses would shut in four years and move to the regions.

It would also end the notion of "Fortress Wapping", with staff working behind security fences and no public access - a legacy of the move from Fleet Street in 1986.

The new plans suggest public footpaths to the Thames and a health club and swimming pool

open to the public. The towers would be on the west side of the Wapping complex, on what is now a car park.

Mr Livingstone welcomed the plan but said News International would have to make a " significant financial contribution" to rebuilding Tower Hill Tube station.

Residents are opposed to the proposal and one for a separate 23-storey flat complex in Wapping Lane. One said: "They keep building block after block but we don't even have a single bank."