London will get a new addition to its towering skyline, despite opposition from protectors of the famed St Paul's Cathedral.

A proposed skyscraper dubbed Cheesegrater 2, for its similarity to another tower in the City, has been granted approval for development.

All but two members of the City of London Corporation's planning committee on Tuesday voted in favour of permitting the development.

The demolition of three buildings will make way for the Lai Sun Development Company's new tower at 100 Leadenhall.

Lai Sun welcomed the news about the skyscraper that they are calling The Diamond, but which has already been nicknamed by Londoners.

When complete by 2026, it will stand at 263.4 metres tall, making it the third tallest building in the Square Mile financial district.

The committee heard from a representative of the applicant, who said the distinctive tapered treatment, by the architecture firm behind the One World Trade Center and Burj Khalifa, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, had been designed to flatter the city's heritage landmarks, with special consideration for St Paul's.

That sensitive design had considerably reduced the amount of office space, he said.

How the planned new skyscraper would change the London skyline

The new office space would accommodate more than 6,000 workers, the committee heard.

The committee was shown a series of fly-by impressions of the view to St Paul's from Ludgate and Fleet Street.

How the Cheesegrater 2 (the tallest building in this picture) would look alongside other buildings in the City

There was a "diminishment" causing a degree of harm to the view, but the applicant did not consider it significant, the committee heard.

Oliver Caroe, surveyor to the fabric at St Paul’s, said it was City leaders' collective responsibility to cherish and steward London's "precious monuments".

He said over 80 years the City had "immaculately curated" the Square Mile's street and skyline to complement St Paul's dome.

However, over the past year, there had been two applications that had concerned the cathedral's guardians, Mr Caroe said.

He said St Paul's did not agree with Heritage England's approval of the design, describing how the tower was deemed to present particular issues for the view of the dome from the Fleet Street approach.

Mr Caroe added there was a fear that new modern buildings were "chipping away, chiselling away" at London's heritage views.

“This should not happen in London, which has some of the clearest and robust policies to safeguard the city and its cultural identity,” he said.

The new tower could present issues for the view of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, it's been feared

Committee member Brian Moody said the City had been in business far longer than St Paul's, and the skyscraper's office space potential was vital "in context of the political confusion" over recent days, with a mass of resignations among Prime Minster Theresa May's Cabinet over Brexit disagreements.

He said: “The City must send out a very strong message - we are open to business, and I strongly invite members of the committee to vote in favour of this application.”

Committee member Sylvia Moys said she thought the skyscraper was “an elegant solution for something which is very much in demand”.

The committee's chairman Chris Hayward said he "adored" St Paul's, but believed the tower's design would make it one of the most exciting and beautiful buildings in the cluster.

He said: “It does send out, as we've been reminded by several members in this debate that in these post-Brexit times ... the City is open for business.”

The skyscraper will provide over 102,000 square metres of office space, as well as ground-floor retail space, two podium terraces and public viewing galleries on the top two floors, which will also be used as a restaurant and bar.

It will also create new routes through the Square Mile, including one between Leadenhall Street and Bury Street, and another connecting Leadenhall Street to St Mary Axe, which will lead to a new garden space at the rear of the church of St Andrew Undershaft.

Cllr Hayward added in a statement announcing the decision that it was vital the City approve more office space, with the opening of the new Elizabeth Line on the Tube due later this year.

“Today’s committee decision will boost confidence and international talent in the City of London,” he said.

The Corporation has also launched a public consultation on proposed improvements to the tall office building area dubbed the “eastern cluster”.

Proposals include increasing pedestrian priority and greening projects, and the introduction of “smart benches” which feature mobile charging facilities.