The consultancy, working as consultants to Miller Hare, helped produce the first draft of the London View Management Framework SPG on behalf of the Mayor’s office in 2004-05. The process included working with a GLA steering group on the interpretation and development of policy in the London Plan into detailed SPG guidance. Thereafter the consultancy carried out fieldwork in close collaboration with Miller Hare, which identified viewing places and important views towards London’s principal landmarks, and townscape assessment of the quality of these views.

We played a major part in the process of developing the appropriate planning tools for the management of views, at a time when economic development was encouraging a changing skyline across London which had implications for the interpretation of both the historic and the contemporary world city.

The consultancy co-wrote and edited the draft SPG in collaboration with John Hare, and assisted in the consultation on it with stakeholders, including local authorities, Historic England (then English Heritage), the Royal Parks, and the London World Heritage Sites’ respective steering groups. Following the rejection of our advice by Mayor Livingstone, we resigned. Mayor Johnson then appointed Miller Hare with us to strengthen the guidance, giving rise to the current draft.