Protected views
A key challenge for Maritime Greenwich is the protection of strategic views. This is recognised in the Mayor of London’s Spatial Development Plan for London, 2015 (
London Plan). Maritime Greenwich is identified as one of four World Heritage Sites in London for which the built environment should be carefully managed to find a balance between protecting their Outstanding Universal Value and allowing the surrounding land to continue to change and evolve.
The London Plan states that development should not cause adverse impact on the World Heritage Sites or their settings. In 2012 the Greater London Authority produced guidance (London World Heritage Sites, Guidance on Settings, 2012) as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to the London Plan to help provide a more consistent interpretation of setting and their importance in helping to appreciate Outstanding Universal Value and to support consistency in decision making in London.
The Mayor of London has also designated a number of strategic views with guidance on their management set out in the London View Management Framework (LVMF) SPG. One of these is the view of the London Panorama from the Wolfe Statue in Greenwich Park. The townscape view from Island Gardens to the Old Royal Naval College is also protected.
Tall buildings
The Greenwich Foundation produced Maritime Greenwich - Important Views and Tall Buildings as a framework to assist the assessment of development proposals affecting the World Heritage Site. If unchecked or poorly managed, the continuing expansion of tall building clusters westwards on the Isle of Dogs, and in particular in the South Quay development area, could have an adverse impact on London’s skyscape and the setting of the World Heritage Site. To counter this, the World Heritage Executive has been in constructive dialogue with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the development of the South Quay Masterplan. The Masterplan makes reference to the World Heritage Site Management Plan as a material consideration in the planning process.