In the right locations tall buildings can make an important contribution towards delivering new homes and high quality placemakingRecognising the distinctiveness of individual locations in plans, policies and proposals, and responding accordingly. More, often offering excellence in design and providing an opportunity to build to higher densities around public transport nodes. However, a poorly designed tall buildingA tall building is defined as one that is six storeys or more. More can seriously harm the characterCharacter includes all of the elements that go to make a place, how it looks and feels, its geography and landscape, its noises and smells, activity, people and businesses. This character should be understood as a starting point for all development. Character can be understood at three levels; the area type in which the site sits, its surroundings and the features of the site. More and identityThe identity or character of a place comes from the way that buildings, streets and spaces, landscape and infrastructure combine together and how people experience them. More of a place and the value of important views.

Tall buildings break into the scale, rhythm and grain of the urban form in a way that other buildings do not. Principal failings with tall buildings are often a lack of understanding of context, a failure to demonstrate neighbourliness, the tendency to create too many single aspect apartments especially with a northerly aspect, and to access too many apartments from a single core.

While the design decisions made in taller buildings differ from smaller scale proposals it is essential that these developments are imbued with the same approach to design quality, materiality and style set out elsewhere in this document.

For tall apartment buildings refer to the ‘Apartment’ chapter and for tall non-residential or commercial buildings, applicants must also refer to the ‘Non-Residential and Commercial’ chapter. This tall buildingA tall building is defined as one that is six storeys or more. More chapter only focuses on the implications of height in the design of new development.