25A1_City Hall

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LVMF – Queen’s Walk to Tower of London (City Hall) 25
The Queen’s Walk is on the south bank adjacent to City Hall. One viewing location is described and contains three assessment points each on the public footway adjacent to the river wall. The Assessment Points are identified in the draft as 25A.1, 25A.2 and 25A.3. A Protected Vista is defined from 25A.1 to and beyond the Tower of London World Heritage Site and a Protected Silhouette of the World Heritage Site is defined from each of the Assessment Points.



Viewing Location 25A
Assessment Point 25A.1:
• Assessment Point 25A.1 is orientated towards the Tower of London World Heritage site. The position is identical to that described in the current LVMF guidance published in 2007.
• The Protected Vista from Assessment Point 25A.1 comprises a foreground Viewing Corridor at 6.1m AOD to the low wall that encloses the front of the Tower over a distance of 400m.
• The Viewing Corridor where it meets the Tower is 90m wide – the same as the 2007 guidance.
• The Background Assessment area starts at the height of 25.7m AOD from the Tower up to 164.6m AOD for a distance of 2.5km further north into Bethnal Green, culminating in a width of approximately 727m – the same as in the 2007 guidance. A minor elevation change has been made to the AOD height at the end of the BAA which is of little consequence.

Assessment Point 25A.2:
• Assessment Point 25A.1 is orientated towards the Tower. The position has been moved approximately 66m north-east to that described in the current LVMF guidance published in 2007.

Assessment Point 25A.3:
• Assessment Point 25A.3 is orientated towards the Tower. The position is an additional position to those described in the current LVMF guidance published in 2007.
• The Assessment Point is located approximately 137m south-east of 25A.1.

References
1. Draft revised Supplementary Planning Guidance – London View Management Framework May 2009 – Pages 210-216
2. Supplementary Planning Guidance – London View Management Framework – July 2007 – Page 217-227
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Extract from LVMF: Townscape View: The Queen’s Walk to Tower of London 25A.1, 25A.2 and 25A.3

Foreground and Middle Ground
414 No development should occur in the foreground because the direct relationship between the Tower of London and the river is essential for it to be recognised and appreciated by the viewer. The trees in the middle ground are an important element in the setting of the Tower of London in the view.

Background
415 Development in the background of the view should relate positively to the Tower of London, including all its constituent parts, in views from viewing location 25A. From all Assessment Points, the World Heritage Site should continue to dominate its surroundings. It is particularly important that anynew development relates positively to the White Tower.

416 Elements in the backdrop of the White Tower would undermine the ability of the viewer to appreciate the landmark and its historical significance to the development of London and the nation as a whole. Any proposed development which breaks the consultation plane of the Landmark Background Assessment Area of the Protected Vista and will be visible above the White Tower will be refused.

417 Proposals sited elsewhere than behind the White Tower and beyond the immediate setting in the distant background, must respect the historic significance of the World Heritage Site. New development should not dominate the WHS ensemble.

418 Early pre-application discussions with the relevant planning authorities and statutory consultees, including the Historical Royal Palaces, are recommended for any proposals regarding tall buildings affecting the wider setting of the Tower of London.

419 Development that would change the silhouette of the White Tower when viewed from Assessment Points 25A.2 and 25A.3, or points in between, would have a negative impact on the setting of the landmark. The World Heritage Site is therefore subject to a Protected Silhouette when viewed from any position at or between 25A.2 and 25A.3 (defined by the purple lines on the photographs). Development that affects this silhouette will be refused by the Mayor and should be refused by the relevant local authority.


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