Assessing the impact of proposals for tall buildings on the built heritage: England's regional cities in the 21st century

In recent years increasing numbers of new tall buildings have been proposed across the world leading to growing concern amongst heritage bodies about their potential impact on the fabric of cities generally and upon the built heritage in particular. Tall buildings are defining 21st century urban growth by their sheer size and numbers. Decision-makers are responding to the challenges of tall buildings in a variety of ways on a spectrum that ranges from outright opposition to wholehearted embrace. The impact of tall buildings on the built heritage is one particular challenge that is addressed through conservation planning mechanisms. Conservation planning attempts to regulate the rate and direction of physical change through a framework of policies and controls. The assessment of proposals reflects that conservation planning is a multi-scaled political negotiation related to mechanisms of protection.The research focused on how the potential impacts of tall building proposals on the built heritage are regulated and assessed. The aim of this research has been to examine the tools and practices of assessing the impact of tall building proposals on the built heritage. This paper explores four case studies of tall buildings in England (Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne) and the assessment processes involved during decision making. The research showed that the effectiveness of techniques for regulating and assessing tall building proposals depends upon the local context for decision making. There was evidence that regulatory frameworks led to tall buildings being banned in certain locations, yet it remained crucial to maintain an active conservation policy and a capacity to assess proposals. The effectiveness of specific regulatory frameworks and assessment techniques reflects the tensions and tradeoffs, which occur around development in each location. However, characterisation studies are found to prove their worth in providing a robust basis for development control of tall buildings.