Tall Buildings

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link

Welcome to the Tower Hamlets Tall Buildings online engagement page. The Council’s Strategic Planning Team is developing a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to guide and influence the design and planning of tall buildings across the Borough. Urban Initiatives Studio have been appointed by the Council to assist in delivering this project.

Through this online engagement page, we would like to share more information about this recently initiated project and provide an opportunity for local residents and interested parties to become involved.

We are also interested in getting an understanding from the community in relation to any initial observations or key issues around the development of tall buildings in the borough. You can share any initial ideas or thoughts you have on our ideas board.
Tower Hamlets Tall Building Zones (Figure 7: Tower Hamlets Local Plan) Tower Hamlets Tall Building Zones (Figure 7: Tower Hamlets Local Plan)

The project

The development of tall buildings can positively contribute to the local environment and deliver significant growth to the local economy whilst also providing much needed homes. However, tall buildings can cause considerable harm to the character and identity of an area through individual or cumulative developments. Tall Buildings can also impact on the quality and safety of public spaces, generate adverse microclimate conditions, cause overshadowing and have a negative impact on amenity and views.

This project will seek to:

- Define what a tall building is within the borough;

- Identify locations where tall buildings may be appropriate;

- Identify the character, setting and sensitivities of tall building zones;

- Identify maximum heights that will be acceptable for tall buildings;

- Consider tall building typologies in relation to building use, form, public realm, amenity, microclimate and quality of life.

Early engagement workshops

As part of our early engagement strategy, we hosted a series of preliminary workshops with residents, councillors, landowners and other interested parties. At these workshops, we shared an overview of the purpose, scope and programme of this project.

We recorded our team’s presentation at each of these workshops which you can view on the side of this page. We have made available a copy of the presentation slides which you can also view.

We will be hosting further workshops in early 2021 and will be providing further detail on this closer to the date.

For the purpose of these workshops and to ensure we are engaging in in a detailed and direct way, we have designated four sub-areas as per the below image.

Early engagement workshop sub-areas

The designated sub-areas include:

Isle of Dogs and South Poplar (South Poplar, Canary Wharf, Millwall, Cubitt Town)

East of the Borough (Mile End, Bow, Bromley by Bow, Poplar Riverside, Leamouth, Poplar, Blackwall)

Northern City Fringe and Central Area of the Borough (Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Stepney, Globe Town)

Riverside and Commercial Road (Limehouse, Shadwell, Aldgate, Wapping)

If you would like to attend any of the above workshops, please let us know of your interest by emailing localplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk. We will be hosting additional workshop sessions in the new year which will provide further opportunity for engagement. You can register your interest in the planned future workshops using the same email address.

Welcome to the Tower Hamlets Tall Buildings online engagement page. The Council’s Strategic Planning Team is developing a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to guide and influence the design and planning of tall buildings across the Borough. Urban Initiatives Studio have been appointed by the Council to assist in delivering this project.

Through this online engagement page, we would like to share more information about this recently initiated project and provide an opportunity for local residents and interested parties to become involved.

We are also interested in getting an understanding from the community in relation to any initial observations or key issues around the development of tall buildings in the borough. You can share any initial ideas or thoughts you have on our ideas board.
Tower Hamlets Tall Building Zones (Figure 7: Tower Hamlets Local Plan) Tower Hamlets Tall Building Zones (Figure 7: Tower Hamlets Local Plan)

The project

The development of tall buildings can positively contribute to the local environment and deliver significant growth to the local economy whilst also providing much needed homes. However, tall buildings can cause considerable harm to the character and identity of an area through individual or cumulative developments. Tall Buildings can also impact on the quality and safety of public spaces, generate adverse microclimate conditions, cause overshadowing and have a negative impact on amenity and views.

This project will seek to:

- Define what a tall building is within the borough;

- Identify locations where tall buildings may be appropriate;

- Identify the character, setting and sensitivities of tall building zones;

- Identify maximum heights that will be acceptable for tall buildings;

- Consider tall building typologies in relation to building use, form, public realm, amenity, microclimate and quality of life.

Early engagement workshops

As part of our early engagement strategy, we hosted a series of preliminary workshops with residents, councillors, landowners and other interested parties. At these workshops, we shared an overview of the purpose, scope and programme of this project.

We recorded our team’s presentation at each of these workshops which you can view on the side of this page. We have made available a copy of the presentation slides which you can also view.

We will be hosting further workshops in early 2021 and will be providing further detail on this closer to the date.

For the purpose of these workshops and to ensure we are engaging in in a detailed and direct way, we have designated four sub-areas as per the below image.

Early engagement workshop sub-areas

The designated sub-areas include:

Isle of Dogs and South Poplar (South Poplar, Canary Wharf, Millwall, Cubitt Town)

East of the Borough (Mile End, Bow, Bromley by Bow, Poplar Riverside, Leamouth, Poplar, Blackwall)

Northern City Fringe and Central Area of the Borough (Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Stepney, Globe Town)

Riverside and Commercial Road (Limehouse, Shadwell, Aldgate, Wapping)

If you would like to attend any of the above workshops, please let us know of your interest by emailing localplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk. We will be hosting additional workshop sessions in the new year which will provide further opportunity for engagement. You can register your interest in the planned future workshops using the same email address.