Developers of tall buildings should foot the bill for transport improvements if they want their proposals accepted, said planning minister Lord Falconer this week.
Falconer told a meeting of the commons’ urban affairs subcommittee on tall buildings: “I could envisage that if the transport infrastructure was not adequate that would be a good reason to turn down a tall building.”

But he rejected calls from English Heritage and CABE for national guidance on tall buildings. Instead he said towers should be approved “if they demonstrate design excellence, are in the right place, and are sustainable and safe”.

Falconer added that the government was considering introducing annual safety inspections in the wake of 11 September “in any building where there are great concentrations of people”.