A Commons motion has been tabled to protect Britain’s iconic buildings from having their names changed due to temporary sponsorship deals. Andrew Rosindell MP, says that owners of major landmarks should only be allowed to change their names if the new name reflects the “history and traditions” of the country.
He tabled the motion following news that the City of London’s tallest building, the Heron Tower, is to be renamed the SalesForce Tower in a sponsorship deal. The MP believes this could open the floodgates to a spate of renamings of major landmarks, leaving London’s skyline filled with buildings with “frivolous” names.
Rosindell says that sites like Heron Tower, The Shard and Canary Wharf should only be renamed after major historic figures or events such as battles. This would protect them from acquiring the names of various companies or even products.
The motion claims that renamings would “seriously undermine the reputation of London” and would be off putting to tourists.
Andrew Rosindell said: “There is a real problem with traditional names disappearing in both London and across the country, we have already seen hundreds of pubs losing their historic names. Now we are faced with the possibility of iconic buildings going the same way. I don’t have a problem with renaming things but the names have to be in keeping with our history.
“I would like to see buildings in the City of London called Trafalgar Tower, Churchill Tower and Queen Elizabeth II Tower. This will mean that the buildings serve as permanent reminders to great historical events and people.
“Having the whole London skyline named because of a series of temporary sponsorship deals just invites ridicule, and looks bad in front of tourists and visitors.”
The motion has received the backing of the Save London’s Skyline Campaign, who are also fighting against the renaming of both Heron Tower and against wider sponsorship deals.
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