Yet while the case for height is often compelling, securing planning permission for tall buildings remains one of the most complex and sensitive challenges in the development process.

The high-profile schemes listed below – on which Savills has advised and secured planning permission – give a sense of the direction of travel in major regional cities over the last five years:

• Regent Park, Salford – resolution to grant outline permission for development including tall buildings up to 74 storeys in height (including potentially the tallest building in the UK outside London)
• Kings Tower, Sheffield – permission granted for a 40-storey co-living scheme
• Gateway, Liverpool – permission granted for four 15-storey buildings as part of the regeneration of the Pumpfields area providing over 650 dwellings
• Merrion Street, Leeds – permission granted for a 32-storey student scheme
• Broad Street, Birmingham – permission granted for a 37-storey ‘super slender’ tall building
• Cabot Gate and Haymarket, Bristol – two sites with permission for up to 28 storeys

So, what are the challenges and what does success look like?

The context: why tall buildings are on the rise

Across major UK cities, density is no longer optional – it’s essential. In addition to the delivery of much-needed new housing, the ever-rising costs associated with the redevelopment of brownfield land often necessitates an increase in scale. There is also increasing pressure to accommodate growth sustainably and in proximity to existing infrastructure. National policy supports making efficient use of land, and many local authorities now explicitly recognise a role for tall buildings, in appropriate locations. The difficulty often lies in defining which locations are deemed to be appropriate.

In some regional cities, such as Liverpool, a restrictive, zonal-based approach is taken to determining whether a site is capable of accommodating a tall building. In other areas like Manchester, Salford, Sheffield or Leeds, proposals for tall buildings are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Location is only the starting point

While most cities now have some form of tall building policy or guidance to indicate whether the principle of building at scale will be acceptable, this is only ever a starting point. Tall buildings are rarely controversial because of their use, but because of their impact – both in terms of the existing built environment and public perception.

In practice, planning permission for tall buildings is a melting pot of technical and detailed planning considerations, involving a level of scrutiny far in excess of more typical proposals, including:

• A requirement for exceptional design quality due to the visual prominence of the proposal
• The need to make a positive contribution to the skyline, rather than simply adding height and mass
• Demonstrating that the impact on heritage assets and key views is acceptable, even where some change in the historic environment is inevitable
• The provision of adequate natural light both in terms of existing and proposed dwellings, as well as newly created public spaces
• Demonstrating that the new wind microclimate environment is both safe and comfortable for pedestrians
• Proximity to existing infrastructure, most notably public and active transport links and city centre employment areas
• Delivery of new infrastructure, including affordable housing, public realm improvements, public open space, active travel routes, medical centres, education and public art – all subject to development viability

Tall buildings are held to a higher bar. Design review panels, iterative pre-application engagement, and detailed townscape and visual impact assessments are all standard. What is less often acknowledged is that tall buildings are often expected to deliver infrastructure far in excess of low or mid-rise developments.

Managing risk, perception and politics

Tall buildings attract public and media scrutiny – and are rarely neutral in the political arena. Due to the nature of these developments, it is inevitable that there will be some adverse impacts, and so even well-designed schemes can falter if stakeholder engagement is mishandled.

Successful applications tend to share common traits:

• Early and transparent engagement with local planning authority officers and members
• Clear and consistent communication rooted in local planning policy and character
• The willingness to evolve the scheme in response to feedback, without losing coherence

In my experience, schemes that succeed in Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield do so not because impacts are ignored, but because they are acknowledged, tested and weighed against the benefits of the scheme.

Looking ahead

The movement towards building at scale in our regional cities is not going away. If anything, it will intensify as cities grapple with housing demand, sustainability and land scarcity. The challenge for the planning profession is to ensure that tall buildings are not just taller, but better – better designed, better located, and better integrated into the cities they reshape.

Importantly, tall buildings should be at the forefront of urban regeneration thinking to ensure the opportunities to maximise their delivery and benefits are secured.

Further information

Contact Brad Wiseman