§ Lords Dubsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy on development along the Thames, especially in relation to the appropriate height of buildings [HL2053]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)Strategic Planning Guidance for the River Thames (RPG3b/9b) was issued in February 1997. The guidance includes a section on the built environment alongside the River Thames. It states that development should establish and reflect a relationship with the river, it should take full account of its local context, including its relationship with buildings and structures of particular sensitivity. The scale, mass, height, silhouette, skyline, layout, material and colour of buildings adjacent to and in the vicinity of the river should all be given close attention and should be appropriate to the local context. Because of the emphasis on the context of buildings and the varied character of the river, there is no rigid prescription about the height of buildings.
In November 1999, Ministers broadly endorsed advice produced by the London Planning Advisory Committee on high buildings and strategic views. The advice re-states the guidance in RPG3b/9b that London boroughs should identify the extent of the Thames policy area in their development plans and carry out an appraisal of their stretch of the river. This appraisal should form the basis of the designation of any areas appropriate for high buildings.