§ 92. Mr. Gowerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the policy of his Department regarding the institution of limited experiments with skyscrapers in the Greater London area and in the major provincial cities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. H. BrookeA number of tall buildings have received planning approval in London and in some of the major provincial cities. Others are under consideration. The factors that have to be taken into account are relationship of the building to neighbouring buildings or open spaces, the effect on skylines, the ratio of floor-space to the site, the impact on traffic and the provision to be made for off-street parking. If all these matters can be satisfactorily resolved, I see no objection to a tall building in the right place.
If by sky-scrapers my hon. Friend has in mind buildings very much taller than anything that has yet been approved, I think we have to approach the matter with caution. The factors to which I have already referred would apply, and the difficulty of securing a satisfactory result would increase with the height of the building. But I would not rule out even a very tall building in principle.