One Bishopsgate Plaza: 41-storey scheme in the City to offer private flats for sale within a five-star hotel

A low-profile “ring of steel” security cordon encircling London’s financial heart has been in force since the IRA bombed the Baltic Exchange, Bishopsgate, in 1992.

This modern version of the medieval City’s perimeter wall and gates has continued to evolve almost unnoticed, yet it marks perhaps the most radical shift to the urban realm of any part of London for decades.

Remarkably, two thirds of streets that used to lead into the City have been closed to traffic and today there are barely more than a dozen ways of driving into the area.

While the bane of motorists, the City’s enclave status is proving a boon for residents.

Street crime and burglaries are extremely low and the Square Mile has become a better place to live, with high-quality shops, glam restaurants and bars staying open later in the evening and at weekends.

And whereas living in the City used to boil down to a Barbican apartment or a crashpad in an outdated office conversion, today’s developments have moved on.

One Bishopsgate Plaza fuses private flats with a five-star hotel. The first 19 floors of the 41-storey tower are the hotel, while 160 flats are above.

Residents enter via the hotel lobby but have a private lift to their floor.

Level 20 is given over to a residents club, with lounge, bar, library and 24-hour concierge, while a sky terrace on level 34 provides the views.

The hotel spa with pool and gym can be used by residents, who pay via their service charge, while other hotel services are pay-as-you-go.

Some flats have glazed corner windows and the pared-back elegance of the interiors echoes the design theme of the Pan Pacific Hotel below.

Prices start at £1.1 million. Call 020 3515 0900.

In line with the City’s anti-car stance, there are no private parking spaces for residents, but good transport — Liverpool Street station, and eventually Crossrail — is moments away.