Labour London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi last week voted to call on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to rethink his approach to tall buildings on London’s skyline after it was revealed that Westminster has 3 new skyscrapers in the development pipeline and a total of 236 London wide.

Research highlighted by the London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi found that over 230 buildings of 20 stories or more are in the pipeline for development, radically altering the shape of the capital’s skyline without meeting London’s housing need. Of the 230, 189 are residential, but primarily luxury flats with relatively small numbers of affordable housing meaning they will make little contribution to solving the housing crisis.

Whilst recognising there is a place for skyscrapers in the capital Murad argues that further luxury penthouses do little to address the needs of ordinary Londoners and threatens the historic London skyline. Murad was joined by Assembly Members from all parties in unanimously supporting a motion calling on the Mayor to adopt new policies to protect London’s skyline. The motion also called for the Mayor to establish a Skyline Commission made up of design experts from a variety of fields to offer advice on commissioning and carry out design reviews.

Murad Qureshi AM, Labour London wide Assembly Member, said:

“The Mayor is making a mockery of his planning policies when he continues to wave through proposals for skyscrapers which do little to help people looking for an affordable place to live. Under Boris Johnson, London is fast becoming a high-rise playground for the super-rich leaving more and more Londoners priced out of the market.

“Tall buildings have their place, but they must respect the existing character of the local area and meet a genuine need. That’s why I am calling on the Mayor to rethink his gung-ho approach to skyscrapers in the capital.”

ENDS

Notes

–       Murad Qureshi AM is a Labour London wide Assembly Member.

–       Research released earlier this year on behalf of New London Architecture found 236 buildings 20 storeys or taller had been proposed, received planning permission, or were being built. The report is available here: http://www.newlondonarchitecture.org/dls/TB_B1.pdf.

–       The Skyline Campaign has been fronted jointly by the Observer and the Architects Journal. More information is available here: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/skyline/.

–       The motion, introduced by Labour Member Navin Shah and seconded by Labour Member Nicky Gavron, was agreed unanimously at the London Assembly Plenary on 05 November 2014. The full text of the motion is:

“This Assembly notes with concern the revelation earlier this year by New London Architecture that over 230 tall buildings are in the pipeline for development. The cumulative impact of these developments on London’s skyline is not being thoroughly considered, with the resultant often bland design and irreversible negative impact posing a threat to London’s heritage, character and architectural distinctiveness. 80% of these buildings are residential, mostly luxury flats which will do little to alleviate the housing crisis.

Tall buildings can make a positive contribution to city life and the skyline, but only if they’re in the right places, meet the right needs, and respect the character and identity of the surrounding area. However, the flaws of ill-considered tall buildings have been well demonstrated by the skyline campaign.

The London Plan includes policies on tall buildings, but these are not being properly implemented in planning decisions. There are also examples where height limits established by Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks have been ignored.

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to rethink his approach to tall buildings in London. To protect London’s skyline and arrive at well considered appropriate high rise buildings the Mayor should establish a ‘skyline commission’ made up of design experts from a variety of fields to offer advice on commissioning, have an enabling role and carry out design reviews.

The Mayor should also develop more detailed and rigorous masterplanning processes, including engagement of local residents and stakeholders, especially within Opportunity Areas, and implement a clusters policy. There should be a review of existing protected views with the intention of adding new viewing corridors, as well as a recognition that views from all angles – even if not within a protected corridor – should be a planning consideration. The GLA should support the development of a fully interactive 3D computer model of London’s emerging skyline in order to allow development proposals to be visualised within the context of their contribution to the London skyline. Finally, the Mayor should require all developers with proposals for tall buildings to consider other building configurations.”