Tall buildings can seriously harm the historic character of places because of their ‘height, bulk and widespread visibility’.

That is the view put forward by Historic England as part of a new advice note it has drafted for public consultation last week. Whilst recognising that well-designed tall buildings can be ‘positive additions to towns and cities when thought is given to their locations’, it still sees many ‘ill-considered proposals’ that would harm their surroundings.

Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said that with London and major towns and cities throughout the UK receiving large numbers of applications every year, it has updated its advice written in 2007 and then refined in 2015 to reflect its recent experience. This, said Wilson, ‘restates the need for new buildings to offer a meaningful response to the history and character of our cities’.

The Advice Note addresses:

·      Assessing appropriate locations for tall buildings in local plans

·      Using local plans to take a managed approach to development

·      Identifying the elements that create local character

·      Discussing proposals before making a planning application

·      Considering alternative approaches

·      Considering the cumulative effect of other tall building proposals

·      Setting high standards of design

·      Giving consideration to a tall building’s public realm and facilities

Updates in the proposed 2020 edition include much greater emphasis on the importance of a plan-led approach, the acknowledgment of changing technologies and tools such as 3D modelling and views studies, along with case studies that show how definitions of what constitutes tall can vary depending on the area of the city. In particular it commends sensitive tall buildings such as 122 Leadenhall Street (the Cheesegrater) as part of the planned City cluster, and St Alban’s Place in Leeds. Historic England is less complimentary to buildings it has objected to, including Chiswick Curve and 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie Talkie building)

The new advice note, whose consultation draft is at historicengland.org.uk and is now in a period of public consultation that has been extended to close on 28 May. Any feedback should be sent to governmentadvice@HistoricEngland.org.uk

 

Here is a link to an Historic England webpage with a summary of the changes to the advice note, which was originally published in 2007 and last updated in 2015:. At the bottom of the page is a link to the consultation draft. This public consultation is open to everyone and has been extended to close on 28 May 2020.