London Mayor Boris Johnson has explained why he allowed tower blocks to be built in central Harrow - despite having previously promised to get tough on tall buildings.
On May 14, Harrow Council granted planning permission to demolish the vacant Gayton Road Library and Gayton Road car park in Gayton Road to make way for 383 high-rise apartments of up to nine storeys in height.
The mayor decided not to use his veto, even though he had previously told the London Assembly: "Tall buildings have an important role in London's future development, but they must be in the right place and be carefully designed to take account of their surroundings.
"I will require tall buildings to respect the context of the area, protect and enhance the environment, meet sustainable design standards and be of outstanding architectural quality."
At Mayor's Question Time on June 18, Brent and Harrow's London Assembly member Navin Shah (Labour) asked the Conservative Mayor to explain how his policies squared with his actions.
Mr Johnson replied: "The Gayton Road application was discussed at length by my Deputy Mayor Ian Clement and planning officers on May 29.
"In relation to the height of the buildings, this was not considered out of context on the edge of Harrow town centre.
"The deputy mayor concluded that the scheme would deliver a significant amount of new housing (including affordable housing) and was consistent with strategic planning policies."
Mr Johnson's alterations to the London Plan - city-wide planning policies against which planning applications are judged - were published last Thursday.
