Tall buildings

The need for a Tall Buildings Strategy for Plymouth was first introduced through the city centre precinct urban design framework (adopted as supplementary planning guidance in 2002) which recognised that in some areas existing heights are too low and create poor enclosure to the street. It identified the opportunity in the city centre to increase heights, reinforcing 'the image of the precinct as the central focus of the city'.

Tall buildings can have a dramatic impact over a wide area. To grant planning permission in an ad hoc manner could be detrimental to the city and lead to the repetition of past mistakes. It is important that the impact of tall building proposals is critically assessed and a rigorous examination carried out for each, before they are given approval. Plymouth City Council has therefore decided to produce a Tall Building Strategy to ensure future proposals for tall buildings fit within a wider strategy and are considered in a coordinated and consistent manner. This strategy will be included in the design strategy supplementary planning document (SPD) which forms part of the Local Development Framework.

Draft Tall Building Strategy [2MB]

What are tall buildings?

Any building which is significantly higher than its neighbours and/or which recognisably changes the skyline.

'…we do not think it is useful to or necessary to define rigorously what is and what is not a tall building. It is clearly the case that a ten-storey building in a mainly two-storey neighbourhood will be thought of as a tall building by those affected, whereas in the centre of a large city it might not.'
(CABE/EH guidance on tall buildings, 2001)

In Plymouth, certainly within the precinct, buildings are not generally high-rise, the maximum being about 5/6 storeys. There are some landmark buildings: the civic centre, the grain silo, the Holiday Inn and Moathouse, as well as church spires. These landmarks play a role in defining the city skyline and helping legibility, although they are not necessarily all considered positive landmarks. The strategy will adopt the definition proposed by CABE and English Heritage.

What can tall buildings do for an area?

• Act as landmarks making the form of the city easier to under stand
• In a cluster, they can define important parts of the city
• Unique skyline opportunity and image of the city
• Markers for important civic or public facilities
• Prestige tall buildings can attract national and international companies