New York plans rival to Empire State Building

Anthony Malkin, owner of the Empire State, said 15 Penn Plaza, right, would be "an assault on New York City's iconography", blocking views across the city for tourists.

"It's the end of the image of New York City that billions of people hold dear," he told a city council planning hearing.

The developer of the proposed tower, David Greenbaum, responded: "The fact is, New York City's skyline has never stopped changing, and I certainly hope it never will."

The building would stand two blocks west of the Empire State Building in Seventh Avenue, close to Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.

The Empire State was the tallest building in the world when completed in November 1930, and became New York's tallest building again after the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001.