London's controversial new Shard building

London’s controversial new Shard building has changed the face of the capital’s skyline forever. When the ambitious £1.5 billion project opens its doors next year it will include of several throwbacks to the boom days including fine dining restaurants, plush corporate office space and a five star hotel. In today’s tough economic times some might see this as a tad vulgar others say it’s presenting a new regeneration opportunity to what’s traditionally been the less prosperous side of the Thames.

The 72-floor, 310 meter-tall building is designed by an Italian, financed by the Qatar government, and it is also the tallest building in the European Union. The Chinese hotel group Shangri-Lasae signed up as the building's first tenants Cherille McNeil-Halward, 71, who runs a picture framing shop a short walk away from the Shard, spoke of the excitement the building has brought to this region of London.
She said, ‘I like the design, I like the promise. I think it's going to blast this neighborhood out of the water; this tower will bring people with money to spend here, and that's got to be a good thing.’ Its developer Irvine Sellar sees the project as a symbol of London's status as a world city and believes it is a building people can be proud of. Mr Sellar said: ‘We want this building to be a building Londoners will feel ownership of. You can eat there, you can work there, you can sleep there. And you can see the view from there.’

The plans for the Shard were conceived 11 years ago and this generated almost immediate opposition from conservation groups who didn't want the fabric of the city changed. The building is due to open next year in a historic neighborhood, which includes the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe, and Borough Market. English Heritage and other groups complained that the design did not fit in with the surrounding architecture, but were overruled. Prince Charles, also had a go at the Shard calling it "an enormous salt cellar".

The Shard has had other problems too - investment bank Credit Suisse pulled out of the project after Lehman Brothers crashed. However, the central bank of Qatar stepped in to finance the project. The Shard survived and it is now likely to become a symbol that you’ll see from anywhere in the city and one people everywhere will associate with London.

What do you think of Shard?
Striking and beautify or a mega salt cellar?
Do you think it will regenerate the economy south of the Thames?