Policy DES3 – Tall buildings

Planning permission will be granted for tall buildings, defined as any building 35m above ordnance datum (AOD) or taller or those which are significantly higher than their surroundings, where they: a. Are of a height and scale that is sensitive to the context of their surroundings and are proportionate to their location; b. Do not have an adverse impact on the setting, character and appearance of listed buildings, conservation areas, areas of townscape character (ATCs) and historic monuments/gardens; c. Respect key public views and vistas within, across, into and out of the city, including important views of landmark buildings and landscape features; d. Contribute to a cluster or an interesting skyline when grouped together; e. Support locations of civic or visual importance including major transport nodes, civic spaces and areas of high employment; f. Serve to provide an accessible pedestrian friendly environment of a human scale through the provision of active frontages, high quality landscape treatment and local public realm enhancements at street level; g. Minimise the effects of overshadowing and overlooking especially within predominantly residential areas and avoid the effects of wind turbulence and other adverse microclimatic impact; and h. Comply with all necessary civil aviation requirements and not interfere, to an unacceptable degree, with telecommunications, television and radio transmission networks. Existing tall buildings within Belfast will not set a policy precedent for similar development on adjacent sites. In all cases applications for tall buildings will be expected to adhere to supplementary planning guidance.