Zaha Hadid Architects' Vauxhall Cross Island towers, which caused controversy at the planning stage, have received planning approval in south London.
Designs for the 53 and 42 storey towers connected by a shared podium were approved by the local council this week. The Vauxhall Cross Island towers will be the first major project undertaken by Zaha Hadid Architects in the UK for a private client.

The mixed-use project for developers VCI Property Holding will have 257 apartments in the shorter tower, and a 618-room hotel in the other. Offices and shops are planned for the 10-storey foyer, along with a new public square at the base.
Opponents of the scheme were angered by the height of the towers, which were several storeys higher than revised designs by Squire & Partners that were approved in 2012.
Lambeth Council's planning committee approved the development, praising it as a "very high design quality that responds appropriately to its context".

Planning officers noted that the taller 185 metre tower would be above the 150 metre limit set for the area, but supported the scheme on the basis that benefits such as the land swap and the developers contribution to affordable housing "justify the departure". The level of sunlight blocked by the towers was also deemed acceptable.

Vauxhall Cross Island will provide 23 "intermediate" homes on-site, and contribute £30 million towards homes at affordable rent in the borough, equivalent t...