Watchdog takes a bite out of the Cucumber in design row

Plans for the tallest building in the City of Westminster - a skyscraper nicknamed the Cucumber - look set to get the go-ahead despite a savaging from the Government's design watchdog.

Billionaire brothers Simon and David Reuben announced proposals for the 460ft residential tower at Paddington Basin last year.

The skyscraper, which will be visible from Primrose Hill, Regent's Park and Hyde Park, is billed as a rival to the 591ft Gherkin in the Square Mile as a central London landmark. Mayor Boris Johnson backs the project and Westminster planning officers have recommended it for approval, praising the tower's "graceful silhouette".

But the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) recommends that planning permission is denied and says the Cucumber's design falls short of the "world-class" standard required.

In a recent design review of the tower and the Reubens' wider One Merchant Square development at Paddington Basin, Cabe claimed the tower's circular form "presented challenges" in fitting in with the surrounding area.

Its report said: "The design team's passion for achieving the highest design standards is evident... However, we feel that this has not translated into a building of exceptional design quality that is distinct in character from many corporate office buildings."

Robin Partington, the architect behind the scheme, claims Cabe's design review panel took less than 20 minutes to look at the plans and was out of step with other expert views, including those of Westminster planners. He told Building Design magazine: "We did a presentation to Cabe before Christmas. We were given 20 minutes and the [Cabe] officers turned up late, so it was a lot less than that.

"We've been working with a whole range of interested parties and they've all been extremely supportive."

In a report ahead of a meeting next Wednesday to discuss the proposals, Westminster planners said the building's form was "appropriate".

Mr Partington is no stranger to criticism, as the designer responsible for the recent Strata tower in Elephant & Castle, awarded Building Design magazine's 2010 Carbuncle Cup for the ugliest building of the year.