Extract from LVMF: Townscape View: St James’s Park to Horse Guards Road 26A.1

Foreground and Middle Ground
427 No development is expected in the foreground. The middle ground landscape needs to be managed to maintain its dominance in the view.

Background
428 Any further development proposed in the distant skyline background of this view, should be of appropriate scale and geometry. It should not dominate or overpower either of the existing two groups of built form or
the landscape elements between and either side of them, or detract from night-time views. Any tall building proposals in the distant background should relate to one or the other of the existing groups and must be of exceptional design quality, in particular with regard to their roofline, materials, shape and silhouette. New buildings should appear as part of the existing groups of buildings. In particular, buildings that appear above the central third of the Duck Island trees would damage the viewer’s ability to see these groups of buildings in conjunction with the landscaped
foreground and should be refused.


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Townscape View: St. James’s Park Bridge

Viewing Location 26A: Assessment Point 26A.1

Page 222: Paragraph: 428

“In particular, buildings that appear above the central third of the Duck Island trees would damage the viewer’s ability to see these groups of buildings in conjunction with the landscaped foreground and should be refused.”

OBSERVATION / QUESTION: The statement is a mixture of objective and subjective judgement. "One third" is objective, but measuring the 'width' of the trees on Duck Island is somewhat subjective. Winter? Summer? Before or after they are cut (etc?).

QUESTION: How would they damage the viewer's ability to see these groups of buildings?

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