London View Management Framework

The London View Management Framework (LVMF) is a piece of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in support of policies 7.11 and 7.12 of the Mayor of London’s ‘London Plan’. The London Plan is a spatial development strategy setting out an economic, environmental, transport and social framework for the development of London to 2031.

The London View Management Framework is intended to help preserve London's character and built heritage by setting out policy for managing the impact of developments on key panoramas, river prospects and townscape views. Guidance is targeted at boroughs, consultees and applicants for planning permission. It was published in March 2012 following a period of consultation.

Developments should seek to make a positive contribution to designated views, giving consideration to their impact on the foreground, middle ground and background of views.

The process of making a planning application for a development that might affect a designated view includes:

• Undertaking a scoping study in consultation with the local authority to assess whether the development impacts on designated views and agreeing assessment points from which that impact might be evaluated.
• Preparing a description of the view.
• Preparing a description of the impact on the view, including a description of the development, its location, setting, height, scale, design, external appearance and its relationship to important buildings and landmarks.

If an application does not conform with the principles and guidance set out in the LVMF, it should be refused.

The designated views are:

London panoramas:

• Alexandra Palace.
• Parliament Hill.
• Kenwood.
• Primrose Hill.
• Greenwich Park.
• Blackheath Point.

Linear views:

• The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
• Westminster Pier to St Paul’s Cathedral.
• King Henry VIII’s Mound, Richmond to St Paul’s Cathedral.

River prospects:

• Tower Bridge.
• London Bridge.
• Southwark Bridge.
• Millennium Bridge and Thames Side at Tate Modern.
• Blackfriars Bridge.
• Waterloo Bridge.
• The South Bank.
• Golden Jubilee/Hungerford Footbridges.
• Westminster Bridge.
• Lambeth Bridge.
• Victoria Embankment between Waterloo and Westminster Bridges.
• Jubilee Gardens and Thames Side in front of County Hall.
• Albert Embankment between Westminster and Lambeth Bridges
• Along Thames path near St Thomas’ Hospital

Townscape views:

• Bridge over the Serpentine to Westminster.
• Island Gardens, Isle of Dogs to Royal Naval College.
• The Queen’s Walk to Tower of London.
• St James’s Park to Horse Guards Road.
• Parliament Square to Palace of Westminster.

In addition, The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has issued directions in relation to 13 Protected Vistas.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Accessible London.
• BREEAM Visual comfort View out.
• Central activities zone supplementary planning guidance.
• Design and access statement.
• GLA Housing Design SPG.
• Listed building.
• London plan.
• Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF).
• Rights of way.
• Right to light.
• Right to a view.
• Strategic view.
• Supplementary planning guidance for London SPG.
• The London Plan.
• Value in the view: conserving historic urban views.
• View.
• Zone of theoretical visibility.

[edit] External references

• The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has issued directions in relation to 13 Protected Vistas.
• City of London Corporation, St Paul’s heights Limitations.