Surely the fact that two rather ugly office buildings from the sixties are going to disappear from the London skyline to make way for the Shard is reason enough to support the project. Do you really think what is standing there at present compliments the Tower of London? Also the Shard will be on the south bank of the Thames, the Tower of London is on the north and not even directly opposite. How will it possibly detract from historic views? If you want to do something to improve views across London, why not campaign for all the mediocrity built during the post war period to be torn down. Also while you’re at it have a word with your pals at English Heritage and ask them if they have gone completely mad. Although not affecting London they have just given a sixties eye sore, the civic centre in Plymouth listed status. Try to explain that one since just about everyone in that city wants to see it torn down.

Simon Jenkins is a well known anti-skyscraper person.

I must also question the validity of speaking to one developer as it is nothing more than anecdotal. Surely you should follow the decision of CABE to decide whether they are high quality skyscrapers? Afterall, they are experts in architecture, ensuring high quality designs that contribute to London.

I don’t share your impression that the debate on your blog is moving your way - almost all of us seem to think you’re wrong in pretty much every respect, myself included. It’s true that investment banks in particular want huge footprints - this combined with the planners’ obsession with height limits means we now have a plethora of the dreaded “groundscrapers” which reduce the livability of the city, especially for pedestrians. Take seven or eight of these 8-story monstrosities, however, and pile them up, then you’d have one skyscraper and there would be breathing room for the rest of us.

Skyscrapers may not be “”essential” for economic growth but they’re certainly desirable - and they’re even more desirable from a planning perspective, assuming you don’t want to concrete all over the green belt and countryside.

Not all Conservatives are conservative, but you are, and I believe that puts you squarely on the wrong side of this argument.

This is getting ridiculous. You have started a campaign to save something that doesn’t exist.

If we are going to have politicians talking about tall buildings in London, then please let us have someone who knows London, which clearly you don’t.

Honest advice: If you are going to continue campaigning on this matter you need to get to know London or Red Ken is going to tear you apart.

Slightly puzzled about your quote,

“I love the design, I just don’t want it to ruin an iconic view”

What view would this be , the iconic view of Guys hospital or the iconic view of New London Bridge house???

If your talking about the view of the tower of London which your chums at English Heritage wasted millions of pounds of the public’s money on in a public inquiry. An inquiry which incidentally found their arguments were found to be baseless then your; a) a little late as the public inquiry was a few years ago & b)as daft as English Heritage. The only time your going to get the Shard & the Tower of London in the same shot is when viewed from the north of the Tower in which case your iconic view contains most of the south bank from Tower to London bridge including three not particularly nice looking towers from the 1970’s.

So are you trying to say your iconic view is the tower of London framed by Guys hospital & two 1970’s office towers in which case I admire your commitment to post war architecture but come on Ed surely you can see the shard is superior to the current tall buildings on site even if it does ruin your iconic shot of the tower of London framed by the best 1970’s office design has to offer.

I wish you & the heritage lobby all the best & look forward to using my vote at the next election wisely.

But Mr Vaizey, the Shard does not obscure any listed views, or prominent views of the tower. If it had, it would not have been approved at a public inquiry. I have seen no evidence that it does. It doesn’t block any protectd views.

We must realise, the Shard will likely create one of the most beautiful views of the tower ever, from 250m up in the sky in one of the two public viewing galleries of the tower. There are no views from behind the Shard that it blocks, but it will create a new one, one that I plan to enjoy in 2012 when I go to the Olympics (as long as the qeues aren’t too long. Actually I take that back, I don’t care about the qeues, the view will be too amazing to NOT see.)