UNESCO: Tower of London threatened

The Tower of London, a 900-year-old fortress that is one of Britain's top tourist attractions, will be added to the list of endangered world heritage sites unless the threat from encroaching skyscrapers is resolved, the UN's cultural body said yesterday.

Local planners had not done enough to ensure that views to and from the Tower would not be obstructed by surrounding development, including a 310-meter-high "Shard of Glass" Britain's tallest building due to be completed in 2010, according to a UNESCO interim report.

"It's a question of visual integrity and that's a problem in all major cities," World Heritage Center spokeswoman Gina Doubleday said.