London mayor Boris Johnson is to decide the fate of plans for a major mixed-use Docklands development, after planning permission for the scheme was refused by Tower Hamlets council.

Johnson has exercised special mayoral planning powers to call in the proposals for the 63-storey Columbus Tower project, which is set to be built next to Canary Wharf and will include a 192-bedroom hotel and 2,731sq m (29,396sq ft) of leisure space. The 244.5m (802ft)-high tower will be situated at the western end of the North Dock at West India Quay, and will also include 30,871sq m (332,293sq ft) of office space and 1,246sq m (13,412sq ft) of Winter Gardens and internal public circulation.

Plans submitted to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 24 December 2008 by developer Commercial Estates Group (CEG) were rejected in August over concerns that the proposals would impact on nearby listed buildings and conservation area. However, planning permission was approved in March 2005 for a tower on the North Dock site, and Johnson believes that the scheme will help the capital's economy. It is also hoped that the project will provide funding for the Crossrail initiative.

Johnson said: "There is already a planning consent for a tall building on this site and the development itself would deliver a significant contribution to Crossrail, the most important new infrastructure project London has seen since the first tube tunnels were dug by the Victorians. "For these reasons, I believe this application requires me to scrutinise it in greater detail."

CEG's Nick Lee added: "The proposed Columbus Tower will bring significant investment to the area and is in keeping with strategic and local policies to promote high density commercial development on the Isle of Dogs."