7854 Assessing the impact of tall buildings on the historic environment

Descriptions

One of Historic England's primary concerns is assessing the impact of change on the historic environment and, as part of this, we are keen to better understand the impact of tall buildings on heritage assets and the historic character of places. A tall building, by virtue of its height, bulk and widespread visibility, can seriously harm the qualities that people value about a place if it is not in the right place and not well designed. There will be some locations where the existing qualities of a place are so distinctive or sensitive that new tall buildings will cause harm regardless of the perceived quality of the design. What might be considered a tall building will vary according to the prevailing character of the local area: a ten-storey building in a mainly two-storey neighbourhood will be thought of as a tall building by those affected, whereas in the center of a large city where the general building heights are taller, it may not. Similarly, a building in a hill-top location, or on the crest of a ridge of higher ground, may gain prominence and an appearance of height, and jar with the historic grain and character of the place. Historic England wants to commission a team to develop evidence that informs our understanding of how the predicted impact of tall buildings on the settings of heritage assets and character of the historic environment in England compares with the reality of the impact of those buildings post-construction. PLEASE NOTE HISTORIC ENGLAND ARE PREPARED TO BE FLEXIBLE ON METHODS AND TIMETABLE TO ENSURE THIS PROJECT CAN BE COMMISSIONED DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME.