Protected view

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St Paul's from King Henry's Mound before the addition of a new building behind the cathedral in 2016.

A protected view or protected vista is the legal requirement within urban planning to preserve the view of a specific place or historic building from another location. The effect of a protected view is to limit the height of new buildings within or adjacent to the sightline between the two places so as to preserve the ability to see the landmark as a focus of the view. The protection may also cover the area behind the place or building concerned.

For example, in London views of St Paul's Cathedral[1] are protected from various prominent locations around the city. In Edinburgh, a 2005 skyline study compiled a list of almost 170 key views[2] which will now be protected in the planning process[citation needed].

Protected views are not unique to the UK, also existing in places such as San Francisco which has some of the strictest limits in the world;[3] Portland, Oregon where the size of downtown blocks is kept low to maintain the views of Mount Hood from the West Hills; and the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, which has protected "view cones".[4][5] New York City only has a single protected view, at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.[6] Austin, Texas, has protected views of the State Capitol[citation needed].

Protected Vistas in London[]

Map of the protected views in London: in the SVG file, hover over a viewpoint (red circle) to highlight its view(s)

The thirteen vistas protected by the London View Management Framework are as follows:

a distance of over 10 miles (16 km) and created in 1710, this view frames the cathedral through a special gap in holly hedging, down a specially maintained clear avenue in Sidmouth Wood and then all the way across London. This protected view has limited development around Liverpool Street Station as a tall structure there would form an unacceptable backdrop to the view of St Paul's.[7] Construction of a new 42 story building behind the cathedral was started in 2016, despite opposition from groups who claimed that this would spoil the view of the church.[8]
  • from the centre of the bridge over the Serpentine to the Palace of Westminster
  • from The Queen's Walk at City Hall to the White Tower[1]

The views of St Paul's Cathedral from Waterloo Bridge and Hungerford Bridge are not explicitly protected although they are protected in practice by the views from Richmond Park and from Westminster Pier respectively as these bridges are on the path of the protected vistas.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "London View Management Framework". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Edinburgh landscape and scenery". City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  3. ^ "San Francisco General Plan :: Urban Design". San Francisco Planning Department. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. ^ "View Protection Guidelines" (PDF). City of Vancouver. February 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Protecting Vancouver's views". City of Vancouver. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Minerva Casts Curse on Brooklyn Development". Archpaper.com. 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  7. ^ Catchpole, Tim (2004). "London Authority and Big Brother". RUDI - Resource for Urban Design Information. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  8. ^ Khomami, Nadia (2016-11-23). "London mayor urged to act over tower that 'compromises' St Paul's view". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-12-29.

External links[]

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