Supplementary Planning Guidance London View Management Framework The London Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance July 2007 London View Management Framework The London Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance July 2007 Copyright Greater London Authority July 2007 Published by Greater London Authority City Hall The Queen’s Walk More London London SE1 2AA Enquiries 020 7983 4100 Minicom 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk ISBN 978 1 84781 057 1 Photography © Miller Hare AVR images in Appendix C © Miller Hare and Hayes Davidson. Maps in this SPG are reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. GLA 100032379 (2007). Copies of this Supplementary Planning Guidance are available from www.london.gov.uk or by calling 020 7983 4100. Acknowledgements The Mayor would like to acknowledge the work of Miller Hare, MSA and RPS Planning in the preparation of this SPG. Thanks are also due to all those who have responded to the consultation process on the SPG, particularly the London boroughs affected by the designated views and the Government Office for London. note 1 The policy and paragraph references given in this SPG relate to the London Plan (2004). Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan are currently going through their statutory processes. It is anticipated that a revised London Plan will be published in Spring 2008. London View Management Framework Mayor of London Contents Foreword by Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London v Summary vii Chapters 1 Introduction 1 2 Relationship to the London Plan 13 3 Qualitative Visual Assessment 23 4 Management of Protected Vistas by Geometric Definition 37 5 Procedural guidance, consultation and relationship to local policy 45 6 A Guide to Management Plans 53 Management Plans How to read the Management Plans 63 London Panoramas 69 1 London Panorama: Alexandra Palace 69 2 London Panorama: Parliament Hill 76 3 London Panorama: Kenwood 87 4 London Panorama: Primrose Hill 94 5 London Panorama: Greenwich Park 103 6 London Panorama: Blackheath Point 112 Linear Views 118 7 Linear View: The Mall to Buckingham Palace 118 8 Linear View: Westminster Pier to St Paul’s Cathedral 121 9 Linear View: King Henry’s Mound, Richmond to St Paul’s Cathedral 126 River Prospects 131 10 River Prospect: Tower Bridge 131 11 River Prospect: London Bridge 136 12 River Prospect: Southwark Bridge 143 13 River Prospect: Millennium Bridge and Thames side at Tate Modern 149 14 River Prospect: Blackfriars Bridge 153 15 River Prospect: Waterloo Bridge 159 16 River Prospect: The South Bank 167 17 River Prospect: Golden Jubilee/Hungerford Footbridges 173 Mayor of London London View Management Framework 18 River Prospect: Westminster Bridge 180 19 River Prospect: Lambeth Bridge 188 20 River Prospect: Victoria Embankment between Waterloo and Westminster Bridges 192 21 River Prospect: Jubilee Gardens and Thames side in front of County Hall 198 22 River Prospect: Albert Embankment between Westminster and Lambeth Bridges along Thames path near St Thomas’ Hospital 203 Townscape Views 209 23 Townscape View: Serpentine Bridge to Westminster 209 24 Townscape View: Island Gardens, Isle of Dogs to Royal Naval College 212 25 Townscape View: City Hall to Tower of London 217 26 Townscape View: St James’s Park to Horse Guards Road 228 Appendices A1 A Framework overview A1 A1 Schedule of Assessment Points A1 A2 Map of all Protected Vistas A6 A3 Map of Protected Vistas across central London A7 A4 Map of Protected Vistas across central London – close up A8 A5 Map of Assessment Points for central London views with QVA A9 A6 Map of Assessment Points for east London views with QVA A10 B Strategically Important and Other Landmarks A11 C Accurate Visual Representations (AVRs) A17 D Technical Data for Management Plans A25 E Glossary A77 F Earth’s Curvature and Refraction of Light A87 G Directions issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government A89 London View Management Framework Mayor of London v Foreword by Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London For London to remain a competitive world city, it must respond to the drivers of growth and continue to develop in a dynamic, organic manner without inappropriate restraints. At the same time, London is valued because of its first class heritage and historic landmarks that are cherished by Londoners and visitors to this great city. The London Plan recognises the value of London’s historic landmarks and the need to protect and enhance the most important views of them. The policies in the Plan provide a strategic framework for the management of these views, but because the Plan cannot be site specific it has been necessary to prepare this Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to give further advice and guidance on how to interpret the plan’s policies. View management is an important and sensitive issue. The London © Liane Harris View Management Framework SPG has assessed each specified view, providing precise details on the location of viewing places and the extent of viewing corridors, backdrops and front and middle ground assessment areas. In preparing the final SPG, we have made better use of detailed photography and up-to-date surveying and imaging technology than has ever been possible before. The final SPG has also benefited from ongoing feedback and consultation with key stakeholders as well as a formal public consultation in 2005, and I would like to thank all those who gave their time and expertise to comment on the policy guidance. Having considered the guidance carefully, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has decided to rescind the previous guidance on Strategic Views, RPG3a, and for this Framework to be adopted in its place. With the publication of this SPG, the policies in the London Plan on View Protection now come into full effect. At present, too much uncertainty surrounds the planning process, leading to expensive public inquiries and costly time and delay. Together, the London Plan and this View Management Framework provide much-needed certainty to developers and planners. For the first time, this guidance helps everyone to take a balanced view of development proposals, their impact on London’s major landmarks and their contribution to the capital’s character and identity. As a result, we can all look forward to development across London that marries high quality design with enhancement of our unique historic built environment. Ken Livingstone Mayor of London vi Mayor of London London View Management Framework London View Management Framework Mayor of London vii Summary Chapter 1 Introduction The purpose of this Framework document is to provide additional clarity and guidance to the relevant policies and text of the London Plan that deal with management of strategically important views (hereinafter referred to as designated views). The policies in the London Plan and this Framework document replace Regional Planning Guidance: Supplementary Planning Guidance for London on the Protection of Strategic Views (RPG3A) 1991, through which the then Secretary of State gave protection to ten strategic views and issued relevant Directions under the provisions of article 10(3) of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order. On 3rd July 2000, new Directions for all the views were issued, but no change was made to the views identified. The new Directions were issued to reflect the revised consultation arrangements as specified in paragraph 1 of Part IV of the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2000, which required that the Mayor as well as the local planning authorities involved in protecting a strategic view were be consulted on developments affecting the strategic view. Since the publication of the 2000 Directions the Mayor’s Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London, the London Plan, which is part of the development plan for London, has been published (dated February 2004). Policies 4B.15, 4B.16 and 4B.17 of the London Plan establish the principles under which London’s views should be managed to ensure their qualities are preserved or enhanced for future generations while London continues to develop as a world city. With the publication of this SPG on 13 July 2007, the 2000 Directions are withdrawn and replaced by new statutory Protected Vista Directions, in accordance with the intention to make appropriate alternative arrangements as indicated in GoL Circular 1/2000 and in Policy 4B.15 and paragraph 4.64 of the London Plan. In addition, a Protected Vista from City Hall to the Tower of London is covered by a new direction. The London Plan policies and the London View Management Framework (LVMF) Supplementary Planning Guidance represent a more comprehensive approach to managing the strategically important views in London than RPG3A has provided since 1991. viii Mayor of London London View Management Framework The LVMF is not meant to be a tool to mediate all competing planning objectives in London in relation to development that would affect the designated views. Chapter 2 Relationship to the London Plan The London Plan policies provide the mechanism to designate the views, identify the Strategically Important Landmarks and to set out the methods for assessment of proposed development that could affect the designated views. Within this context the LVMF therefore does the following: 1 Confirms the Protected Vistas in the designated views that are subject to Geometric Definition. 2 Identifies the coordinates for the area of Geometric Definition (Viewing Corridors/Protected Vistas) for each of the 11 Protected Vistas identified by the Secretary of State's Directions. 3 Provides the new statutory Directions for the 11 Protected Vistas to ensure that in addition to notifying the other local planning authorities involved in managing a Protected Vista, the Mayor is directly involved in the process of considering applications for development which could affect those Protected Vistas.