City of London officials responsible for public space have said they cannot support Foster & Partners’ controversial Tulip proposals because the ground-level access for the attraction is not good enough to handle a huge influx of visitors.

Foster’s scheme for a 305m tall tower next to his practice’s Gherkin building has drawn fire from heritage groups Historic England and Historic Royal Palaces – which manages the Tower of London – as well as from the Greater London Authority since it was unveiled in November last year.

Now the City’s own built environment team has stuck the knife into the proposal, created for billionaire Gherkin owner Jacob J Safra, which is targeting tens of thousands of visitors a year.

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