Initially promoted by the Beetham Organisation, the tower was originally proposed at 225 m (738 ft), with 68 storeys,[7] but was eventually scaled down after concerns about its impact on the rest of London.

According to the architect Ian Simpson, the unusual shape of the building was inspired by Timo Sarpaneva's classic Lansetti glass vase from 1952.

[15] The site was purchased by Berkeley Group's St. George subsidiary in October 2011, leading to the renewed expectation that the tower would be built.

[3] The tower provides 274 private flats, however the viewing lounge on the 32nd floor received widespread criticism for revoking the promise of public access, when in reality it costs £50 per visit, and £30 per hour for residents and companies only in the local postcode.

Critics pointed out that the public viewing area was the fundamental reason why the council permitted the development without social housing.

[18] The cost to the developer of the provision of the public viewing lounge has been calculated at £5.5m (based on foregone revenue on lost floor space for two medium-sized flats).

[18] A single storey marketing building was constructed during 2012 in the north east corner of the site and was due to be used for one year.